RWBY Spider
by Scam Man
Summary: Vale City is filled with criminals who want to take control. When the police and even the Hunters can't do anything, there remains only one hope; the Spectacular Spider-Man! Starring Arden Ambrose as the Friendly Neighborhood Superhero, read as he tackles all kinds of baddies, sometimes with the help of some familiar faces! (Updates: Chapter 11 in progress)
1. The Rebootining

THE REBOOTINING

Hey folks, Scam Man here, and boy do I have a big announcement for you. I have decided to reboot the RWBY Spider series, so pretty much I'm doing what Sony did, except Marc Webb isn't taking over for me. What this means is I've taken down all RWBY/Marvel stories, except the Deadpool Show, I'm keeping him and I'll explain why. Some of you might think that I'm doing this because I'm bored, but that's just not the case. I suppose it's a combination of focusing on the fall semester and improving my writing skills and having a hard time focusing on the stories itself. Because I've done an expanded universe, it's hard to keep track of all these characters. I have to keep reminding myself where they are in the story and when to bring them back. Also, I started this last New Year's before RWBY Volume 2 came out and didn't have a lot to work with. But at least this way the story will be a bit more accurate.

The story itself will primarily focus on just RWBY and Spider-Man, no other Marvel franchises at all. Think of it like that show Spectacular Spider-Man, that didn't need any other heroes to be awesome. There may be some exceptions, like heroes and villains who debuted in Spider-Man comics. If some of you are upset about this, I apologize, but I need a fresh start. I'll be keeping any and all OC's I've made up and re-introduce them when the time is right. And if you are unwilling to give this reboot a chance, then that is your opinion and I have to respect that. But, hey, this leaves the door wide open for anyone else to do an expanded RWBY/Marvelverse. I'm not saying that no one else could do it because I was doing it, that's bullshit, I don't care if you do the same thing. That's what this site is for, to get creative ideas out of our heads and onto the internet for fans to enjoy.

As for the Deadpool Show, Wade is keeping his job. Difference is, he'll be non-canon and will have free-range to do whatever he wants timeline wise. I'm doing that because I liked the idea of a Q&A story/reprieve story where crazy shit can go down.

Alright, that's pretty much it, so after this, the new RWBY Spider will start with a Chapter 0 and I would like to hear your thoughts throughout this process.


	2. Chapter 0

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Spider-Man. While there is some OCs, the rest are not and I do not own them. Please support Roosterteeth and Marvel for the time and dedication they take to please their fans.

CHAPTER 0

_Monday March 12__th__, 7:00 am_

The alarm on the clock blared as it went off at 7:00 in the morning. A seventeen year old boy with auburn hair slowly stirred and sat up, stretching his arms and letting out a great yawn. Arden Ambrose heard a _meow_ and his cat jumped up on his bed.

"Aw, hey there Ebony," Arden said as he stroked the black furred beasts back, "Bet you're hungry for some breakfast. Well that makes two of us." Ebony jumps down the bed and heads downstairs while Arden makes his way to the bathroom. After a quick shower, he changed into a pair of black pants and a red shirt with a white shield on the back. He walks down stairs and heads into the kitchen. Arden goes into a draw and takes out a can opener. He then goes into a cabinet and pulls out a can of tuna flavored cat food. He tears it open and places it on the ground where Ebony starts eating.

"Dig in my feline friend," Arden said and started getting his own breakfast together. After cooking up his eggs and toast, Arden saw a note on the fridge.

Arden,

Your mother and I have already left for work. Make yourself some breakfast and remember to feed Ebony. And don't be late for school. Also, swing by the grocery store and pick up some milk.

Love,

Dad

"Way ahead of you pop," Arden said to himself as he opened the fridge and poured himself a glass of OJ. He then grabbed the remote on the table and turned on the TV on the counter.

(Announcer)_ "This is VNN with Lisa Lavender."_

The anchorwoman herself appeared on screen and began her broadcast, "_Good morning Vale, it's a beautiful morning, a shame that the news could not be as pleasant. Late last night another harrowing robbery took place at the First National Bank. Implicated in the robbery is the infamous criminal mastermind Roman Torchwick."_

_ Oh great, more bad news_ Arden thought,_ and they say there's a period of peace. Sure there are no wars, but the crime rate is just too high lately. The police are outnumbered and the Hunters have more pressing matters to attend to. When will someone just rise up and help the little guy? Like the Ambrose family motto says, "With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility."_

Arden looks up at the clock and sees its 7:40. "Shit, I'm going to be late"! Arden throws his dishes in the sink and grabs his backpack by the door. "See you later Ebony"! The cat just _meowed_ as the door closed.

_Vale City General Hospital, 8:11 am_

"Well I got to say Ms Valkyrie, it's getting a little cumbersome to see you back here," Dr. Leonard Ambrose said to the young Huntress-in-training. He's a mid-forty man with black hair with some grey wearing his stark white coat. Underneath, he wore a black shirt with a white tie and black pants. "Especially since you _and_ your friend are missing quite a few days of school."

Nora Valkyrie sat on the edge of a hospital bed, swaying her feet back and forth humming a tone. Her friend Lie Ren just pinched the bridge of his nose. Nora and Ren went exploring the outskirts of the city because Nora insisted on doing something fun and adventurous. They ended up fighting a bunch of Grimm and were forced to spend the weekend in the woods, hiding and fighting for their lives. Nora depleted her Aura by Sunday evening, but Ren had enough for the both of them to help get them back to the city safely. This is not the first time this has happened.

"I assure you Dr. Ambrose, we'll try to stay within the city limits from now on to have some 'fun'," Ren said, air quoting "fun".

"Aw but Ren, the city is so boring"! Nora exclaimed. "At least outside the city walls there's excitement, and thrill, and…"

"…And monsters that want to kill you," Dr. Ambrose finished for the girl. "Though I'm not complaining entirely Ms. Valkyrie, after all, the more you injure yourself, the more money I make"! The doctor and Nora chuckle, Ren shows a thin smile. "You are both free to go, but I'll have to insist you take it easy for today, doctor's orders."

"Thanks Doc"! Nora yelled and hugged the older man. She and Ren make it not two steps out of the room when she asks, "Ren, can we get ice cream?"

"Nora, we haven't had lunch yet, let alone breakfast," Ren answers.

"But I want a frosty treat"!

"Tell you what, we go down to the café and get you a muffin and _maybe_ some ice cream later."

"Hooray! Can I get coffee too?"

"Yes, but black and absolutely no sugar."

The conversation trails off from the doctor's hearing as he smiled. _Those two are quite the pair, I wonder if they're…?_ The doctor thought but shook his head, _Nah; they seem like just good friends_. Suddenly Dr. Ambrose heard a crash and a yelp from across the hall. He ran into the room to see one of his patients on the floor. He was pale with black hair and looking frantic. "Dr. Morbius, are you alright?"!

Michael Morbius, a brilliant chemist from the multi-billion lien company Alchemax, slowly rose to his feet and is helped back into his bed. Dr. Morbius suffers from a rare, incurable debilitating blood disease. Late last night, he had one of his attacks and was rushed to the hospital for a transfusion. "I am fine Dr. Ambrose," Michael responds, "I just wanted to use the restroom."

"Why didn't you just call the nurse or wait for your fiancé?"

"Because I'm not weak"! Morbius shouted, but then started coughing uncontrollably. Leonard poured him a glass of water and gave it to the chemist. "Thank you," he took a slow sip, "I apologize for the outburst, it's just I don't want to be seen as some poor weakling who cannot take care of himself."

"No need for an apology Michael; I can't imagine what you're going through."

"How much longer must I stay here? I must return to my lab and find a cure for my condition."

"You'll be released before the mornings over Dr. Morbius. But I must insist you take it easy on work, the stress will only progress your condition."

"Time is of the essence Dr. Ambrose; I don't know how much longer I have left. The sooner I return to my lab, the better."

"Well I wish you the best of luck either way." Leonard moves to the doorway, but looks back and adds, "Just don't push away the ones you love. If you really don't have that long to live, you should spend it with the people you care about." Dr. Ambrose leaves and Michael's fiancée Martine Bancroft enters. The blond haired woman walks over and hugs her soon to be husband.

_Signal Academy, 9:59 am_

The senior class of one of Vale's schools for teaching future Hunters the basics enters the gym for a sparring lesson. Prof. Alison Ambrose, a mid-forty woman with her auburn hair tied up in a ponytail wearing workout gear, stretched her arms and wrapped tape around her arms and hands. Out of all the students in the gym, Yang Xiao Long was itching for a rematch with her favorite teacher.

"Alright students," Prof. Ambrose began, "Before we begin, I have an announcement to make. Despite it being so late in the school year, we are getting a new student who transferred from Sanctum."

There were murmurs and whispers of confusion and intrigue from the students. Sanctum is Vale's top Basic Training school for future Hunters, if someone is transferring from there, it can only mean the student was expelled.

"Settle down," Alison said calming her students, "I would like all of you to give a warm welcome to our newest student, Travis Jackson." The door to the boy's locker room opens and reveals a strange young man. He was very muscular with dark red hair, red serpent eyes, and two three inch horns sticking out of his forehead. This bizarre Faunus wore a black tank-top with black loose-fitting pants. Yang's jaw dropped, but she immediately closed it.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you all," Travis said with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Now Travis, I know it's your first day, but since you're already standing in the ring, would anyone like to spar with him?"

"I WOULD"! Everyone turned to look at Yang with her hand raised. She puts it down and composes herself. "I mean, yeah I'll kick his ass."

Travis scoffs, "Yeah, I'd like to see you try Goldilocks."

Yang takes off her jacket and walks to the ring, "Oh, don't tempt me lizard boy."

"That's enough trash talk," the professor said, "Actions speak louder than words. In other words, FIGHT"!

Yang smirks and charges forward. She fires a quick punch, but Travis quickly deflects it. The blond bombshell follows up with two quick kicks, but Travis blocks the first and grabs Yang's foot on the second. He twists it and Yang spins. Using the momentum, Yang does a hand stand and kicks Travis in the chest with both feet. The new student staggers and Yang recovers quick enough to deliver an uppercut to the jaw.

Travis slides on his back, out of the ring. "Well that was fast," Prof. Ambrose said, "Would anyone else like to…"

She was interrupted as Travis flipped back on his feet and cracked his neck and knuckles. "That was a nice warm-up," he said smiling, "Now stop hitting like a girl and _really_ fight"!

Yang smiled, ready for a rematch. Admittedly she _did_ hold back on that last attack, but she also put enough force into it to knock out an average opponent. This guy was different. "Only if you promise to actually _land_ a hit," Yang said egging him on.

Before Alison could say anything, Travis moved fast and punched Yang in the gut. He followed up with an elbow to the head, but Yang caught it and tried to move around to his backside. Travis pivots and tries swiping her with his extended claws. Yang ducks the attack, but not before a few strands of her hair was cut. The sound of the hair cutting was the loudest thing Yang heard in the gymnasium. The other students and even Prof. Ambrose ran back from the ring, knowing too well what's about to happen.

"You bastard," Yang said as her eyes glow red, "Nobody touches the hair"! The girl explodes in a fire of fury and begins wailing on the Faunus with a barrage of fists. She ends her fury with a single punch to the chest. Travis goes flying and bangs against the bleachers. He raised slowly, anger boiling over as his eyes glowed even redder.

He took slow breaths, trying to calm himself. _I…can't control it!_ He thought _my other side wants to rip her apart!_ Travis roars and charges, Yang doing the same. Just before they collided, Prof. Ambrose strikes both warriors in the kote, a pressure point on the arm, from their bent arms. Both students immediately are drained of their anger and drop to the floor in pain.

"Both of you hit the showers! You are done for the day"! Prof. Ambrose ordered. Yang and Travis stare each other down as they make their way to their respective locker rooms. _Great, now there are __**two **__of them!_ Alison thought as she turned to address the rest of the class.

_Vale City High School, 11:33 am_

Arden Ambrose sat alone at the lunch table as he dined on his school lunch of corn, bread, and a slice of reheated pizza. _Ugh! I bet the Hunter schools don't have to put up with crappy lunches_ Arden thought.

Two students pass by and just keep walking. Arden heard one mutter, "Don't get too close, or Ambrose the Living Vampire will suck your blood." Arden just ignored them and kept eating. Arden Ambrose is one eighth Faunus on his mother's side. But because of their diluted Faunus blood, they were not born with animal appendages. Instead, they inherited some sensory, and in Arden's case, a physical attribute. Arden can see in the dark and can hear more acutely than normal humans. He also possesses a pair of fangs he can retract at will.

"Hey Arden," Arden looks up to see a girl with black hair in ponytails with glasses wearing a simple green shirt with a yellow smiley face and jeans. The girl is Samantha Petty, a sophomore human who, like Arden, has a hard time making friends. You'd think two outcasts would make the perfect friends right? Well its high school, complicated and stupid at the same time.

"Hey Samantha," Arden responds simply. She rubs her head and hands Arden a flier. "What's this?"

"I heard the junior class is going to Alchemax on Friday for a field trip, and I thought if you have a fun time, maybe you'll check this out on Sunday?" Arden looks down at the flier;

BEHOLD! FOR PUBLIC VIEWING, THE LIVING BRAIN! SEE IT FIRST AT 11:00 AM AT THE VALE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY!

"Uh Samantha, what's the Living Brain?" Arden asked.

The sophomore looked offended, "What's the Living Brain?! It's only one of the most important technical discoveries in the world! Arden, the Living Brain was Remnant's first computer with Artificial Intelligence! This is stuff you should have learned freshmen year"! Arden smiled and nodded, hoping this conversation might end soon so he could finish his horrible lunch. "And it was created by my grandfather Steve Petty."

Arden stops chewing and looks up. _Crap, this is very important to her_ he thought _and here I am thinking like a jerk by hoping she goes away. My parents raised me better._ "Uh sure Samantha, I got nothing on Sunday, I'll check it out."

Samantha's face lit up, "Thanks, got to go see if anyone else will come"! She runs off and starts handing out fliers to other students.

As Arden started digging back into his meal, a hand touched his shoulder. "That was very nice of you." He looks up to see Roxanne Vulpes, a beautiful Faunus senior. She had long, brown hair and wore a maroon colored shirt with a long pink skirt. Her fox tail swished back and forth.

"Uh, thanks Roxanne, just trying to be nice," Arden responds.

"You've always been the nice guy Arden; it's too bad you don't have many friends."

"That's where you're wrong, I don't have _any_ friends. But that's okay, wouldn't want to drag them down because of my heritage."

"You shouldn't be ashamed of being part Faunus Arden. Look at me, full blooded and no one's picking on me, despite my family's connection to you know who."

"That's because your boyfriend is the captain of the Grifball team. No one messes with the girlfriend of Tyler Stone." Arden and Roxanne look over across the room to see Tyler staring at them, his friends laughing and eating around him. He was a muscular young man with short black hair and wore his blue sports jacket with the white sleeves and large blue "V" on the arms. "Is he seriously starring daggers at me?"

"He's just a bit overprotective of me. Don't worry, I'll talk to him. See ya later"! Roxanne ran back over to her boyfriend, kissing him on the cheek.

A few minutes later, Arden finishes his lunch and decides to head to his next class early. Tyler Stone stared at him until he left the lunchroom.

_Signal Academy, 2:00 pm_

The final bell rings and the students file out to get home and either get a jump on homework or slack off. Yang Xiao Long walked down the stone steps and felt a tap on her shoulder. She turns to see her sister Ruby.

"Hey Ruby," Yang says with a weak smile.

"Are you alright Yang?" Ruby asked a little worried, "You seem a bit, distracted."

Yang was going to play off her sister, but she needed someone to talk to, "Yeah, something happened in Prof. Ambrose's class. There was this new guy and he…" just then Travis Jackson bumps into her arm as he looked straight and headed for the parking lot. "Hey watch where you're…oh not you"!

Travis looks back and scowls, "I don't have time for this. I'm already late as it is." He resumes his walk and makes it to the student parking lot. Yang tried to catch him, but stopped to see him get on a motorcycle, a black and green Honda CBR1100XX Blackbird, with a red tribal dragon on the side. He starts up the monster and whips out of the parking lot at lightning speed. Yang heard Ruby laugh.

"What's so funny sis?" Yang asked.

"That guy has an attitude problem, he looks like a great fighter, and he rides a bike," Ruby said listing out details, "He's a male you"!

Yang was shocked, " WHAT?! He and I have nothing in common"!

"You mean _other_ than the things I just said?"

Yang was blushing at this point, "If you don't knock it off, I'm not giving you a ride home"! Yang storms off to her bike.

"Aw Yang c'mon I was just kidding"! Ruby started after her sister, afraid her threat might be valid.

_Vale City, 3:22 pm_

Arden Ambrose was walking back to his car from the grocery store with three gallons of milk hand. After school let out, Arden swung by the store to fulfill the chore his parent left for him. Suddenly, he heard a scream.

"HELP, THAT MAN STOLE MY PURSE"! Arden looks over to see a creep running down the street with a bag under his arm. The woman, a dog Faunus, looked distraught as the guy ran past several people. No one did a thing.

_Are you serious?! _Arden thought. _Not a single one of you selfish bastards are going to help a fellow citizen in distress? Then it looks like I'll have to step up._ Arden puts the milk in the trunk of his car and quickly runs after the hoodlum. He quickens his pace and sees the thief run down an alleyway. Arden runs up to the wall and peers inside to see the guy and three others gather round and start looking in the bag. Fists balling and teeth gritting, Arden rushes into the alley.

"Hey! That doesn't belong to you"! Arden yelled. The thugs turn and start laughing at the high schooler.

"It's ours now," the thief said.

"Run along little boy, before you get hurt," another says.

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing," Arden shoots back.

"What do you care anyway?" asked the third crook, "All we did was jack some stupid animal."

"First of all, that was a person you stole from. Second, if you're stealing from Faunus, then what does that make you? A bunch of bottom feeding bigots who can't hold down a job. What, a Faunus took your job because you didn't go to college? That's what happens when you drink your life into a stupor and now you're just another criminal."

"You're dead kid"! The thief said as he charged forward. Arden sidesteps and sees the guy run past him. The thief staggers, then recovers, and tried to punch Arden in the face. Arden ducks and follows up with a punch of his own to the crook's face.

_Thank you mom for the self-defense lessons_ Arden thought. Suddenly, Arden was grabbed from behind by one of the thieves and the other two starts working on his mid-section. After the fifth punch to the gut, Arden smashes the back of his head into his captors face. He heard a crack and saw his nose bent and mouth bleeding. The other two yahoos tried to grab him, but Arden runs forward and dodges them. He kicks the third guy in the leg and finishes him with another kick to the face.

The last guy pulled out a knife and the color from Arden's face drained. Arden stepped back and watches his opponent ready to strike his chest. The knife wielder thrusts forward and Arden grabs the knife arm. He pulls it over the opponent's back, moves behind him, and puts him in a choke hold. Arden then kicks the back of his knees, ankles, and heels to bring him to the ground. Finally, he slams his head against the ground to knock him out. _Thank you mom_ Arden thought. Arden grabs the pocketbook and trots back to the Faunus woman.

The woman was on her knees crying into her hands when she felt a tap. She looks up, but sees no one. She looks down and sees her bag. Picking it up, she looks around and sees someone running to his car and then takes off.

_The Home of Arden Ambrose, 3:45 pm_

Arden walks straight into the house with the milk in hand and makes a beeline for the kitchen. He puts the milk in the fridge and turns to go upstairs, but stops to see his parents and another family sitting at the table. Arden was so focused on putting the milk away that he didn't hear the conversation in the kitchen.

"Hi mom, dad," Arden said weakly.

Leonard and Alison Ambrose rise from the kitchen table and check on their son. "Arden, look at you"! Alison said, "What happened?"

"I got into a bit of a fight mom."

"At school?" his dad asked.

"No sir, outside the grocery store."

"Wish I could see the other guys," the Ambrose family turn to see Travis Jackson in reaction to his outburst. Travis's parents, Kiiro and Rust Jackson, looked at their son disapprovingly. Kiiro was a beautiful woman with blond hair and wore a blue jacket with teal jeans. Rust was a muscular man with black hair wearing a red t-shirt with red and brown cargo pants. Arden noticed while the parents were human, the son was some kind of Faunus he never saw before.

His father stepped back to make introductions, "Arden meet our new neighbors. This is Mr. and Mrs. Jackson and their son Travis. They just moved here and we wanted to welcome them to the neighborhood." Arden shakes their hands and steps back.

"Look Leonard, if this is a bad time, we can come back," Rust said.

"Yes, I'm sorry, but my wife and I need to talk to our son."

"I understand." The Jacksons leave and the Ambrose family convenes in the living room. Ebony comes out and jumps up on Arden's lap.

Arden tells his parents about the debacle. He strokes Ebony's fur as he explains the fight and the woman in need. "…So that's it, I beat up those guys and retrieved bag for the woman."

Leonard was rubbing his eyes, out of nervousness. "Son," he began, "I am conflicted as to either hug you or scold you."

Arden couldn't believe his ears, "Why would you need to scold me?! I didn't do anything wrong here"!

"Arden, you engaged in a battle so poorly today," his mother said, "What if there were a dozen of those men? Did you ever consider the consequences if you failed?"

"You could have died son"! Leonard added, "What were you thinking?"!

"What was I thinking?"! Arden said loudly standing up. Ebony jumps off and runs upstairs. "I was thinking that someone would step up and help that woman! But no one moved! No one did anything! They just walked by or stood there as this thief stole from a Faunus and did nothing! Well _someone_ had to do _something_, and I guess it was me."

"Arden, you should have called the police," Alison said.

"What and risk having the police arrest the woman for having her purse stolen? No thanks."

"Arden"!

"No mom, there are too many bigots in the police force." Arden stops and looks at his dad. "Dad, you know I'm right, and we can both agree that if grandpa wasn't retired, this wouldn't be a problem." The parents look at each other. "They say on the news we are experiencing a long period of peace, but I don't believe that. The crime rate is out of control and no one is doing anything about it. Innocent people are suffering, many of them Faunus, and they need help. The police, even the Hunters, are not enough anymore. Someone out there has to say "Enough is enough" and make a difference."

Leonard exhales, "I see you've had a lot on your mind lately Arden."

"Am I grounded?"

Leonard and Alison exchange glances. Alison said, "We'll discuss this later, you should get started on your homework." Arden nods and heads upstairs with his backpack.

Arden throws the backpack on his bed and sits down at his computer desk. He heard a _meow_ and Ebony jumps up on the desk. Arden starts scratching her behind the ears.

_Alchemax Tower, 7:12 pm_

Underneath the headquarters of the multi-billion lien corporation were five levels of subterranean laboratories. On Sub-Level 4, Dr. Otto Octavius stood before his lab bench, reviewing his notes. The middle aged scientist wore a white lab coat with a metal harness underneath. The harness helped control Octavius's extra appendages, four metallic tentacles.

One of the tentacles moves and grabs a glass jar. In it were a bunch of spiders numbered from 40-49. _Time to see if forty batch can produce the necessary reactions_ Octavius thought as he began his experiments again.

Authors Note: Hey folks, hope you enjoyed this little prequel chapter. Also, the character of Travis Jackson and his family were created by Dario Soto, a frequent reader of my stories. Got to give credit where credit is due. I hope this will be the beginning of a new, good story for all to enjoy. Please leave a review or even PM me with any questions you have. Until next time True Believers!


	3. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

_The Home of Arden Ambrose, Friday March 16__th__, 7:20 am_

Arden sat at the kitchen table enjoying his breakfast of champions. He took a sip of OJ and looked at the television as another news segment came on. The reporter, Dexter Dunbar, stood in front of a destroyed convenience store in the city's slums, inappropriately dubbed by citizens as "The Kennel". The reporter was a man in his late thirties with brown hair, goatee, and wore a suit and tie.

_"Well Lisa, I'm just outside the convenience store on 3__rd__ and Bendis as firefighters are still cleaning up. This is the fourth Faunus business in two weeks that has been destroyed. The police have no leads as of this time, but say they are looking into the matter. Many are waiting with baited breath to see if the White Fang will retaliate."_

_Ugh, more violence!_ Arden thought. _Why can't the news tell nice stories for a change?_ Arden finishes his breakfast, puts the dishes in the sink, and heads out the door. Just before he opened his car door, he heard someone shouting from across the street.

"Yo neighbor"! Arden looked to see Travis running across the street. The mysterious Faunus stops in front of him, "Didn't get the chance to talk yesterday."

"Yeah well bad timing y'know, school and all," Arden responded.

"I know, but just wanted to quickly say hi."

"Uh, okay," Arden holds out his hand and Travis shakes it, "Arden."

"Travis, so what school you go to?"

"Vale City High, you know, where _all_ the action happens. And you?"

"Before moving here, I attended Sanctum, but now Signal."

"Sounds like you want to become a Huntsman."

"More than you know. What about you? What do you want to be after high school?"

Arden thinks about and says, "Y'know, I'm not really sure. Maybe I'll let fate decide."

"Fate is fickle; you should take charge of your future. And let nothing stop you." Travis backs up and walks back across the street to his house. Arden lets his words sink in before getting in the car and driving to school.

_Alchemax Tower, 8:24 am_

Tiberius Stone, the CEO of the largest biotech/robotics corporation in Remnant, had arrived at Michael Morbius's lab via the executive elevator. Tiberius was a tall, lean man with black hair wearing an Armani suit, adjusting an old wristwatch his father gave him. Morbius himself was sitting at a lab bench with a sleeping bat in a cage while he measured fluids in test tubes. "Michael, I am glad to see you back and working very hard," the CEO commented, "Your dedication to the company is appreciated."

"Thank you Mr. Stone," Morbius replies. "I must work hard to cure myself and others. I will not rest until I succeed, or drop dead."

"Don't push yourself _too_ hard, I can't afford to lose one of my prized chemists."

"You probably could, but you would find no suitable replacement." The two men share a quick chuckle. Tiberius's Scroll vibrates and reads a text from Octavius.

_Breakthrough in Project Spartan, require immediate attention._

"If you will excuse me Michael, something has come up. Keep up the good work." Tiberius walks to his elevator and presses a button labeled S-4. Only the executive elevator has access to the five sub-basement levels, and Tiberius alone may use it. In just two minutes, the doors open and he walks out into a dark, spacious laboratory. Dr. Otto Octavius stood in front of several lab benches stuffed with equipment, notes, and even some test animals.

"This better be good Otto," Stone said sternly, "I have invested a lot of time and money into Project Spartan for you to tell me it's a complete failure."

"Oh, on the contrary Mr. Stone," Otto said with confidence, "This is quite a successful breakthrough." One of Otto's mechanical tentacles reaches back behind him and grabs a metal canister. He extends the arm in front of Stone to showcase the contents. Tiberius saw a spider with the number 42 on its abdomen. "Behold Mr. Stone, the first animal test subject to survive the longest after an injection of the Spartan Serum."

"How long ago was the injection?"

"Roughly four and a half days."

"Impressive, most die within minutes." Stone takes a closer look at the spider and asks, "How can you be sure _this_ one won't die by nights end?"

"I conduct medical scans every twenty minutes to be sure, and the last one read a green bill a health. In fact, the spider is even healthier _before _the injection. The Serum has mutated the spider's physiology greatly, but that also concerns me."

"What do you mean?"

"An analysis has shown that the spider's venom has become so potent, that if our eight legged friend should expel any amount, through self-preservation or a feeding, it will perish."

"I see," Tiberius rubs his chin as he weighed his options. "Continue to study the arachnid and be ready to take a blood sample. We will discuss in the days to come if Project Spartan has just become more valuable than Project Darwin."

"Yes Mr. Stone."

"You are to be commended Octavius, after three years of your life, you may have finally given this company the magical bullet to change the face of biological warfare. Now if only your protégé can follow suit."

"Please give Dr. Traynor the benefit of the doubt. She is young and inherited a lot after taking Project Darwin off my shoulders."

"I don't have the luxury to give anyone the 'benefit of the doubt'. Gyrich is breathing down my neck and I need a viable super soldier for him soon. Make it happen, Dr. Octopus."

Otto cringed at the sound of that horrid nickname as Stone turned to leave. He decided to retaliate, "How is Tyler these days sir?"

Stone stopped, turned his head, and said sternly, "Do _not_ say that ingrates name in my presence." Tiberius continues his walk and enters the elevator. His anger boiled as the doors shut.

_Outside Alchemax Tower, 11:56 am_

The bus from Vale High pulls up to the front of the tall building and the students file out. Though not a fan of the sciences, Arden couldn't help but admit that it beats sitting through class. The junior class is lead inside and a holographic V.I of a woman appears from nowhere.

_"Welcome to Alchemax, the world leader in biological and technical innovations_," she said. _"If you will follow me, we shall begin the tour."_ The hologram walks forward and the class follows. Arden saw the ground underneath the holo-woman's feet light up wherever she stepped. The floors of Alchemax are retrofitted with holographic projectors for the tour guide to walk freely as she spoke briefly about the history's founding.

_"Alchemax was founded by Archimedes Stone nearly thirty years ago with the hopes of improving medicinal and security concerns for the four kingdoms of Remnant. Yes, Alchemax was the first major corporation to have ties to Vale, Vacuo, Mistral, and Atlas other than Schnee Dust. Today, Archimedes' legacy lives on in his son Tiberius as Alchemax paves the way for a future filled with continued peace. Please follow me to the elevator as we proceed to floor 2 out of 90 you will visit briefly on the complete Alchemax experience."_

_ Oh God I should have faked sick today_ Arden thought climbing into the elevator.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, a bus that had traveled all the way from the farming community of Redwood makes its stop just outside The Kennel. Blake Belladonna steps off and surveys her surroundings as the bus speeds away. She sees so many Faunus, some homeless and others living in horrible conditions.

_Why hasn't anyone done something to help them?_ Blake thought. She begins to walk down the sidewalk, unaware of several shadows zooming across the rooftops above.

_Signal Academy, 12:01 pm_

Travis was sitting on the grounds of Signal, sitting against a tree and enjoying his free period. He was deep in thought about his battle against the blond hair girl from yesterday, remembering his mistakes and how he could have controlled himself better. Then, he heard footsteps as someone approached. Travis turned and found a girl with a red hood standing before him.

"Oh, sorry if I disturbed you," she said nervously.

"Not at all," Travis responds, "You weren't interrupting anything important." He looks at the girl more closely and says, "I remember you; you were with that crazy blond chick I fought in Prof. Ambrose's class."

Ruby gave a quick grin, "That would be my sister Yang, she can be temperamental sometimes."

"Emphasis on 'sometimes'," Travis mutters.

"My name is Ruby by the way, and I just wanted to welcome you to Signal."

Travis looked up to see Ruby holding out her hand. He stands up and shakes it. "Thank you Ruby, you're actually the first person who came up to talk to me."

"Really, but it's your second day. _No_ _one_ else tried to get to know you?"

"Well, when you're an intimidating looking Faunus who transferred from the best intermediate Hunter school in the Kingdom, you tend to feel inadequate in my presence."

"I don't, sure you look strong, but you seem like a decent guy to me."

Travis was surprised, "That's the nicest thing anyone other than my parents has ever said to me, thank you Ruby."

After a couple seconds pause, Ruby asks, "So, what kind of weapons do you use?"

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry, I'm kind of a weapon enthusiast. That's actually part of why I came over here. My sister told me how you can hold your own in a fist fight, but I was wondering what weapons you use against Grimm?"

Travis gives a smile, "Let me show you." Ruby was feeling a little giddy as Travis reached into his backpack. He pulled out his arms to reveal him wearing a pair of gauntlets. At first, Ruby thought they reminded her of Yang's when they're deactivated, except they're not yellow but black with a ring of fire around them. Travis thrusts his arms out and his hands were covered in metal claws. Ruby saw small nozzles poke out just slightly between Travis's knuckles. "I call these bad boys Dragon Rage."

Ruby's eyes were wide and her jaw was hanging open. "Oh. My. God! Are those flamethrowers in the knuckles?"!

"Yeah, I like to charbroil Grimm while I dig into their flesh with my claws. I love the smell of deep fried Grimm in the morning. What about you? Show me your piece."

Ruby grins as she grabs this red box behind her, twirled it around, and changed into a giant scythe. Now Travis's eyes were wide open. "I give you my baby, Crescent Rose."

Travis couldn't even finish a sentence, "How do you…? But you're so…? How do you lift that?"!

Ruby twirls Crescent Rose again, folds it back into a box, and sheathes it. "I drink milk."

"What like ten gallons a day?"! The two share a laugh and Travis puts his own weapons away. "Look, it was nice meeting you Ruby. If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna head to my next class. Hope to see you around." Travis slings his bag over his shoulder and walks back to the school.

Ruby watches him go and pumps her fist. _Yes! A new friend!_ Ruby screamed in her head.

_Alchemax Tower, 12:22 pm_

On the ground floor, two figures in trench coats wearing sunglasses and big sun hats walk through the door and walk past the front desk. The receptionist takes note of the newcomers and calls them back. "Excuse me?! You have to check in"! When the pair refused to come back, the secretary called security. "Security, we have two unauthorized entries, a pair of women in trench coats, glasses, and hats. They were last seen heading towards the executive elevator."

On every floor other than the sub-basement labs, the executive elevator doors are overseen by two guards at all times. So when the call went out, the two large men standing in front of the elevator doors acknowledged the call. "Roger that," one of them said as the women came into view, "We have the intruders in sight."

"Excuse me," the other one started, holding out his right arm, "But you two need to come with…" he didn't finish as the taller one with blond hair grabbed his arm and flipped him on his back. Before his partner could go for his gun, the slightly shorter one with silver hair rushed forward and jabbed him in the throat and slammed his head against the wall. The blond intruder knees her opponent in the head, knocking him out.

With both guards incapacitated, the two intruders remove their coats to reveal skin tight, black attire. They take off the hats and pull out masks in the shape of cat faces, revealing a pair of cat ears on top of their heads. They remove their glasses and put the masks on, activating their mask's radios.

"Okay Isis, we're at the elevator, now what?" the silver haired cat Faunus asked.

_"God Felicia, do you ever pay attention during the review?"_ asked the youngest of the three siblings. She is contacting her sisters from an undisclosed location somewhere in the city. _"Now you swipe the security card our client was so gracious to provide us."_

"Like so," the blond haired woman said, twirling a card between her fingers. She swiped the card into the lock and the doors open.

"And I was _this_ close to saying Open Sesame," Felicia joked, inching her index finger and thumb together.

"This isn't a game Felicia, now get in." Felicia and her older sister Cleopatra enter the elevator and press the button S-4. Tejano elevator music started playing above them and both Faunus couldn't stand it.

"God, with all his billions, you'd think Stone could afford better music."

"I know I wouldn't listen to this crap even if it was the only music available for a cross-kingdom trip."

"Still, it's good to be back in the city. What's it been ten years?"

"Just about, and our first job back is to steal from one of the most powerful people in the world."

"You'd think dad would be proud?"

Cleo inhales a deep breath at the mention of their father and exhales. "I think dad would want us to watch each other's backs and get out of here with the prize intact."

_"Yeah, I miss them too,"_ Isis said, chiming in. Silence filled the elevator the rest of the way down.

As the elevator arrives at its destination, the Faunus thieves hugged against the wall and the doors opened.

"Yes Mr. Stone, what is it…," Dr. Octavius looked up from his research to see an open, empty elevator, "…now?" Octavius rises on two of his tentacles and slowly proceeds to the elevator, his other two tentacles poised to strike. "You're not fooling anyone with that age old trick, step out now and I promise not to kill you."

Suddenly a metallic orb is thrown from the elevator and explodes in a ray of light. Octavius reels back from the flash bang, unable to see the two thieves rush in and knock him to the ground. Before Felicia could knock the doctor out, one of his tentacles push her off him. The bottom tentacles rush Ock away, allowing him to recover from the effects of the flash bang.

Octavius's vision returns and gets a good look at his intruders. "My, my, two strays have wandered into my laboratory," Ock said smugly as the siblings grit their teeth. "I always thought the cat population was far too high, allow me to do the city a favor and euthanize"! His front tentacles launch forward and the thieving siblings leap out of the way.

"I'll distract him, get the prize"! Felicia screamed as she pulled out her weapons, the Claws of Bastet. She put on the tri-clawed weapons and charged the mad doctor. She swiped at each attacking tentacle and rolled in front of Ock. Felicia jumps up and starts hacking at the metal harness around Ock's waist.

Cleo ran straight for the lab bench and started looking for the object of desire. "Isis, remind me what it is I'm looking for"! She screamed into her radio.

_"According to the client, it's a spider with a number on the abdomen,"_ Isis replies.

"Hey, hurry it up"! Felicia yelled as she was thrown off the doctor. His waist was sparking where the harness was damaged.

"I will beat you both within an inch of your lives and personally oversee your vivisections"! Ock screamed.

"Let me rephrase that, get your ass in gear"!

Cleo looks around the table and finds the glass jar with the spider in it. "Alright got it, let's get the hell out of here"!

Felicia nods and pulls out another metal orb. She throws the smoke bomb in Octavius's face and she and her sister make a beeline for the elevator. They make it in and Cleo presses the button for the ground floor.

Enraged and slightly blinded, Ock thrusted his tentacles at the closing doors. He was too late as the metal claws indented the closed doors. "AAAAARRRRGGHHH"! He screamed and used one of his arms to smash a red button on the wall.

Meanwhile on the 14th floor, the Vale High class was being led across the room by the holographic tour guide. Arden Ambrose was bored out of his mind. _For the love of God, someone please whisk me away!_ Arden screamed in his head.

Suddenly, an alarm sounds throughout the building. Arden and his fellow students were confused, scared, and even a little excited.

_"Will everyone please remain calm as we make our way to the elevators and evacuate the building," _the A.I ordered.

As the Vale High students are herded back to the elevator, Arden Ambrose couldn't believe that his pray would be answered.

Back in the executive elevator, Cleo and Felicia were breathing sighs of relief after their confrontation with Doc Ock. Cleo held up the glass container and observed the spider.

"Ugly little sucker isn't he?" Felicia asked.

"Yeah, but this eight legged freak is worth a ton of cash to our client," Cleo responds.

"All we got to do now is high tail it out of here the second those doors open and we'll be home free"!

_"Uh, that might be a problem,"_ Isis said, _"I hacked in to the Alchemax security footage and there are several security drones standing outside the elevator doors."_

"Shit"! Felicia screamed. "What the hell do we do now?"!

"Calm down, I have a plan," Cleo said softly. She points up to the hatch above their heads and Felicia understood. Felicia jumped up and sliced the hatch open. The two sisters climb up and lean over the busted hatch. "After the doors open, we drop several flash bangs down to scramble their optics and then we run for it."

_"Wait a sec, something just happened,"_ Isis said surprised.

"What now?"! Felicia asked.

_"The camera pointed at the ground floor elevator just went out, I think it was destroyed. I have no idea what's going on."_

"Isis, check the other cameras on the ground floor, maybe that will give us some insight," Cleo suggested.

_"I'm trying, but they're out too! And I can't seem to get access to the radio frequencies either"!_

"Calm down little sis," Felicia added, "You did everything you could, we'll find out what's up."

The elevator finally slows down and comes to a stop. "Be ready, for anything," Cleo said to Felicia. The doors opened up and…nothing. No gun fire, no robots coming in, no nothing. Curious, the two sisters jump down and find several security robots on the ground with knives sticking in their bodies. Cleo kneels down and pulls one out of a robot. She looked closely and noticed it was a throwing knife in the shape of a feather. "Oh no," Cleo muttered.

"Oh yes," a voice said from behind her. Cleo turns and felt one hand rip the jar out of her grasp and another hand clasped her shoulder, sending a quick volt of electricity coursing through her body.

"CLEO"! Felicia screamed and caught her falling sister. She looks up at their attacker and hisses, "PROWLER"!

Standing confidently over the two Faunus thieves was a man in a black and purple outfit and mask. He spun the glass container on his finger like a basketball, tossed it in the air, and caught it. "Take it easy kitty cat," he said smugly, "Not my fault you handled yourselves poorly. Your old man must be spinning in his grave."

Enraged, Felicia tried to tackle him, but jumped back to avoid two knives thrown at her feet. She looks up to see the assailant had popped open a pair of metal wings. "You son of a bitch," Felicia muttered.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I don't want to miss my flight"! Prowler activates his flight harness and begins to fly off with Felicia right behind him.

At the front lobby, the elevator doors open and the Vale High class piles out and runs for the exit. Arden was the last to emerge, and as he did, he ducked as a man with metal wings flew past him and was knocked down by a woman in black who ran straight into him.

"Out of my way"! Felicia yelled as she jumped up.

_Yeah, that was my fault!_ Arden thought as he limped his way over to the front desk.

"Just a couple more seconds and I'll be home…" Prowler was interrupted when he felt the metal canister slip through his fingers. He was surprised to see Cleo standing there with her weapon, a butterfly knife that opens up into a cat-o-nine tails whip, in hand. Before the whip could deliver the goods to her mistress, Prowler throws another knife and severs the cord. The canister goes flying and hits a wall, shattering in the process.

"Look what you did"! The sisters screamed together.

"What _I_ did?"! Prowler responds pissed, "_You're_ the ones who took it out of my hands"!

"FREEZE"! The trio of crooks looks to find several security drones standing in front of them, weapons ready to fire.

"Well this is just great! I lose a paycheck and I'm about to lose my life"!

"That wouldn't be so bad" Felicia adds.

"Says the bitches with nine lives," Prowler retorts. "I'm out"! Prowler flies through the glass entrance and escapes to the skies. Cleo and Felicia make a break for it as the security detail open fire.

Looking up from underneath a desk, Arden sees that all the craziness had subsided. _What the hell just happened?_ He asked himself. "OW"! Arden looks down at his hand to see a spider had just bit him. He flicks it off and steps on it. "I really didn't need that right…" Arden felt a little woozy and started drifting, "…now?" And like a sack of bricks, Arden drops to the ground.


	4. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

_Vale City Hospital, 1:41 pm_

Arden Ambrose began to stir from his impromptu nap, his eyes fluttering. He rose slowly to find his parents standing over him. "Uh, what the hell happened?" Arden asked rubbing his head.

His mom wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. "I'm so glad you're okay"! She said aloud.

"Mom, you're crushing me"! Alison lets go and apologizes.

"You must have passed out from the excitement at Alchemax son," his father said.

"Yeah, there were two Faunus and some guy on wings fighting for some reason."

"I was hoping you would say that," the Ambrose family turns to see a black man wearing a trench coat with a VCPD badge dangling from his neck. Leonard walked up to him and shook his hand.

"Detective Quaid, it's been a while," Leonard said. "I imagine you're here to ask my son some questions?"

"Yes, I was hoping Arden could answer some questions, but if he's not feeling up to it, I could come back."

"Nah its cool Detective," Arden responds laying back down, "I can talk."

Quaid moves over to the bed and sits down. Detective Franklin Quaid was Arden's grandpa's protégé back when Jeffery Ambrose was top cop in Vale. Over the years, he's become a close family friend. Arden tells Quaid about the field trip, the alarm, and the confrontation between the thieves while the detective jots everything down on a notepad.

"…And then these two hot…" he looks at his parents raising their eyebrows, "…I mean attractive looking cat Faunus came running out chasing this guy on a pair of metal wings. I took cover as soon as the fighting started and didn't see much else."

Quaid closes his notepad and puts his pen in his pocket. "Well thanks for that Arden, I think I have everything I need," Quaid said getting up and shaking Leonard and Alison's hands. "It was good seeing you all again, and say hi to your old man for me Leonard."

Leonard said he would as they watched the officer leaves. "How's about we get out of here and get some lunch son."

Arden's face lit up, "An early day out of school _and_ a hot meal that doesn't taste like garbage? Other than the trip to the hospital, this is the best day ever, of all time"! Arden gets up slowly and the family of three head out of the hospital. Arden had no idea that this day was unlike any other, in which his life and those around him will change forever.

_Hardy Manor, 2:01 pm_

Isis Hardy sat in the family dining room waiting for her sisters to return. The brown haired cat Faunus wearing a brown blouse and tan pants had just come back from the hotel where she set up shop for the heist. She and her sisters were going to wait before returning to the old homestead, but they agreed it was the perfect fall back point in case things went south. Isis has hoped it wouldn't have been too soon, there are ghosts and painful memories here.

"That was complete and utter bullshit"! Isis heard Felicia screamed barging through the front door.

"Good to see you too sis," the sixteen year-old responds to her approaching siblings.

"Where does that punk get off trying to steal from _us_?! After everything our family did for him, _this_ is how he repays us?"!

"There is no honor among thieves Felicia," Cleo responds.

"I know that, I'm just pissed off he got the jump on us"!

"I'm sorry guys," Isis adds, "I should have paid more attention to the security. Maybe you would have seen him coming and Cleo wouldn't have been hurt."

The older siblings simmer down and walk to their sister. "Don't beat yourself up Isis, anything could happen on the job," Felicia said calmly.

"Yes, and besides, it was a little static shock at best," Cleo added assuring her health.

"So what do we do now?" Isis asked.

Cleo thinks about it and says, "We'll lay low for now, and probably focus our efforts on finding dad's secret stash. Sure the money left for us from mom and dads will have kept us going, but dad's stash could make us millionaires."

"Hell, it might put us on the social standings of the Stones and Schnee's," Felicia adds. "Doesn't that sound good?"

Isis smiled at the thought of her and her sisters being the richest women in the world. And seeing the reaction of all the humans who put them down would be priceless. "That would be nice," Isis responds.

"Good, now how's about I make us a gourmet meal to celebrate our future success," Cleo declared.

"You, a chef, maybe in one of your other nine lives sister," Felicia retorts.

Isis laughed as her sisters started an argument over Cleo's culinary skills. _It's good to be home_ she thought.

_Alchemax Tower, 3:21 pm_

Dr. Otto Octavius and his protégé, Dr. Carolyn Trainer, stood in front of Tiberius Stone in his office on the top floor. The young scientist wore a white coat like her mentor but had wild, pink hair. Both doctors were being lectured by their boss over the incident earlier.

"Let me get this straight Otto," Tiberius started holding back his anger, "Not only did a couple animals get past security, but they managed to get their claws on Subject 42 and, in the process, lose it to another thief? And to add to that, the spider was found crushed. You do realize that under normal circumstances, I would fire you and insure you never work in another lab again. But certain transgressions have changed things." Both doctors look up, confused.

Carolyn decided to ask, "Um, sir, why am _I_ here?"

"I was getting to that Dr. Trainer, please let me continue." Dr. Trainer zipped her lips and didn't say another thing unless spoken to. "After I gave my statement to the police and press, I was contacted by the Secret Service on the status change of Project Spartan. I turned over Octavius's report on the incident and got my ass chewed out. Gyrich has just pulled the black fund on Projects Darwin and Spartan." Tiberius watched as his employees' faces distorted to shock. "Gyrich may be willing to give up so easily, but I will not be deterred! So go home and pack whatever belongings you want, the both of you are being shipped to Lab 10. You are dismissed."

Trainer and Octavius head for the elevator, but Ock was called back by his boss. "I imagine you will be fitting the bill for all of this," Ock stated.

"I have a black fund of my own in place for scenarios such as this. You know how the board hates unused money. And with all the cost effective techniques we have employed to complete our projects, all that unspent cash has to go somewhere. If you need more, just inform me and I'll see to it you're well endowed."

"I assure you sir; we will not fail you again."

"Good, and one more thing, your first test subject is enroute to the lab as we speak. Apparently in all the excitement, Michael Morbius had another attack. Make sure you study the after effects."

"I…understand sir."

"You and I both know he wouldn't have lasted to the end of the month. At least this way he'll actually be doing something _beneficial_ to this company."

Octavius nods and heads for the elevator, actually excited that at long last, he will soon show the world his scientific genius.

_Vale City, 4:10 pm_

Arden Ambrose walked down the street and looked around at all the activity. After going to dinner with his folks and coming back home, Arden felt like he needed some time alone. He wanted to process the events earlier today and question one thing that bothered him. During the dinner with his parents, Arden looked down to inspect the spider bite, but it was gone! Like there was never any bite in the first place! To most people, they would chalk that up to Aura use, but Arden's Aura is locked, making it impossible for him to heal that quickly.

As the teenager contemplated this, a drunk driver down the road was swerving and slowly drifting onto the sidewalk. Arden felt this tingle in the back of his head, and before he knew what he was doing, instinctively leapt up in the air and evaded the car. Arden watched as the car passed below, speeding away back onto the road.

"Whoa! I was almost a pancake"! Arden yelled. Suddenly, he realized that he jumped up to avoid the car and saw that he was twenty feet off the ground. "How the hell did I get up here?" Arden was about to climb down until he noticed that he was not hanging on a window sill or a fire escape, but he was sticking to the wall by his feet and finger tips! "I'm…I'm sticking to the wall?! How am I doing this? I better get out of here before someone sees." Afraid he might hurt himself if he slipped and fell, Arden decided to crawl up the wall and hope no one looks up. Arden actually felt a thrill climbing so high, and when he reached the edge, he saw a pipe and grabbed it for leverage. Imagine his continued surprise when he grabbed and crushed it like paper! "I'm strong too?"! He asked himself as he stepped on the roof.

Arden looked down to see if his hands were hurt, but he couldn't see them! In fact, he looked down and saw his body shimmering like a light. "What? I'm like the invisible man or something! What the hell is going on?! Ah, my hands feel like they're on fire." Arden inspects his hands and sees that they're okay. But he noticed a small opening in his wrists, ones he knew weren't there before. He touched it, and in an involuntary reaction, his middle and ring fingers snapped down and some kind of string fires out and hits the roof access door. If Arden's eyes were not already wide from the events before, they were now. He tugged at the string, and felt how strong it was. He gave it a pull and the door was ripped off its hinges.

"This can't be happening! A few hours ago, I couldn't do any of this! What could have…the spider! That's got to be it! It must have been some kind of freak experiment and it got lose or something. Now I have the powers and proportional strength of a spider"! This revelation in mind, Arden looks down at an alley below and sees it deserted. Taking a chance, he climbs down slowly and drops when he's halfway down. He landed in a crouching position, unharmed by the impact. "This is too much," he muttered and started for home.

_The Kennel, 4:29 pm_

After spending most of the afternoon walking around and helping anyone in need, Blake Belladonna decided to look for a motel to spend the night. All the while she walked; she couldn't shake this feeling of being watched. Her instincts kicked into high gear as she jumped back to avoid several kunai knives hitting the pavement she just stood in. Blake drifts into a dark alleyway where several shadows jump down from the rooftops to surround her. To her surprise, they're ninjas!

_Okay, I'm a fan of ninja romance novels as much as the next girl, but this is a little extreme_ Blake thought hoping this wasn't some kind of joke. The ninjas, wearing all black gi and metal headbands with a black flower in the middle, all withdrew their katanna from their backs. Blake's hand was on the handle of Gambol Shroud, just waiting for her opponents to make the first move.

Three ninjas charge forward and Blake unsheathes her weapon, separating them into sword and scabbard, and blocks their katanna strikes. She leaps up and in a single sweeping arc, kicks all three in the head. As the black clad warriors go down, their comrades join in on the fight. Blake blocks another strike from behind and kicks the warrior in the chest, sending him flying into a dumpster. A fifth ninja throws three shuriken aimed for Blake's head. Using her Semblance, Blake evades the throwing stars and smacks her scabbard across the ninja's face and smashed his head against the wall. The last two ninja charge her at once, and Blake blocks several of their strikes before "teleporting" behind them. She kicks one's knee in, forcing him to buckle, and kicks him in the face. She ducks a strike from the other's katanna and tackles him against the wall, pinning him there with her blades at his throat.

"Why did you attack me?"! Blake demanded.

The ninja did not respond, but only stared into the amber colored eyes of the young woman. Blake heard a _whizzing_ sound in the air and felt a sharp prick hit her neck. Instinctively, she moved one hand to pull at the irritation and plucked a dart from her neck. She jumps back, blades held in a defensive stance, as more ninjas jumped from the roof.

_Damnit! I was careless!_ She thought. Whether the poison these ninjas used in the dart was fatal or not, Blake could not tell. But one thing was for sure, they will not get her without a fight!

Before the shadow warriors could charge, Blake heard several more _whizzing _sounds, this time directed toward her enemies. She watched as these quills, which came from somewhere behind them, scape against the ninjas skin. Instantly, the shinobi drop to the ground. Blake tried to get a look at the attacker, but at this point the poison took its toll and she felt weak in the knees and her eyes were heavy. The last thing she saw before dropping to the ground was a shadow moving towards her slowly.

_The Home of Arden Ambrose, 4:56 pm_

"Okay, this is going to sound crazy, but I have to tell someone," Arden began, "Earlier today at Alchemax, I was bit by a weird spider and was granted powers the which no one has ever seen."

_"Meow,"_ Ebony responds licking her paw as she sat on her owner's bed.

"Oh yeah, well I can prove it! Observe," Arden walks to his wall and places his hands on it. He starts to climb the wall, hands and feet, as Ebony watched his progress. Now Arden Ambrose stood at a crouching position on his ceiling! "What do you think of that?"!

_"Meow,"_ Ebony responds looking up at him.

"Hm, how about something that will _really_ blow your mind?"! Suddenly, Arden Ambrose disappeared into thin air! Ebony sniffed the air and twitched her ears before craning her neck at a _thud_ behind her. She stuck her head out a couple inches, sniffed the air, and licked the cheek of her invisible master. "Aw, you're so clever"! Arden said scooping up the cat and petting her, becoming visible again. "Remind me never to play hide and seek with you"! The kitten purrs affectionately at the pampering. "And this is just the start Ebony! I've got all sorts of powers now! I'll probably try them out sometime over the weekend, maybe on Sunday after that expo opening at the museum. As for tomorrow, I'll take the day to relax, lounge around, and ignore my homework"!

_"Meow,"_ Ebony replies, almost a little stern-like.

"Okay, _maybe_ some homework, sometimes you sound like my mom."

_The Home of Travis Jackson, 7:34 pm_

Across the street from the Ambrose household, Travis Jackson was working out in the family basement, otherwise the "gym". Travis was doing pull ups at one end of room, while a radio at the other end was playing rock/alternative music (current song: FFDP "Lift Me Up"). He was shirtless, exposing his bare sweaty back and the black tribal dragon tattoo.

"…105…106…107…" Travis muttered exhaling each pull up he completed. As he kept up the pace, thoughts of his fight with Yang surfaced again. While he has gotten over their initial encounter, what's bothering him now is which one of them is the strongest? "…149…150"! Travis jumps down and breathes heavily, done with this mundane exercise.

He roars and punches a fist into the wall, leaving a dent. The door at the top of the stairs opens and his mother comes down. "Everything alright Travis?" she asks.

"I am sick of this simplistic workout bullshit! Aside from this and school, there is nothing in the city that can challenge me as a Huntsman or a warrior! I should venture out into the Outskirts and find a suitable challenge myself"!

"Travis"! Travis calms down and steps back from his mother. He has never heard her yell at him like this before. "You know you can't do that sweetheart, it's too dangerous. Even if you leave the safety of the kingdom for five minutes, there's a chance you might not come back. Just like so many others."

"But you and dad know I'm different! I can use my "other" side to crush any Grimm that stands in my way! If only you two could give me a chance"!

"It's this "other" side that got you kicked out of Sanctum! You almost killed someone Travis"!

Travis's eyes started glowing dark red, "I handled it"!

"Like now?"!

Travis calms down and breathes. "I'm sorry mom; it's a lot easier when dad helps me. When will he be back?"

"I received a message from him earlier, said he'll be back sometime Sunday." Travis walks to the other end of the room and shuts off the radio. "Look son, your father and I are doing the best we can to try to figure out this "other" side of yours. We only found out recently what kind of Faunus you are."

"Dragon," Travis mutters.

"And for all we know there may not be anything left to find after the Great War." Travis looked like he was about to punch the wall again when Kiiro walks up to him and kisses his forehead. "But that doesn't make you any less of the son we raised. You should go wash up, dinner will be ready soon." Kiiro Jackson walks back up the stairs and to the kitchen. Travis follows a minute later wiping the sweat off with a towel.

_One way or another, I will become stronger_ Travis thought reaching the top of the stairs.

_Jack Ditko Natural History Museum, Sunday March 18__th__, 10:40 am_

Arden Ambrose walks through the front door to the museum after paying the twenty lien admission. _Man, ticket prices are expensive these days_ he thought, _sure takes a beating on the old wallet. I should think about getting a job, maybe something involving my new skill set? Or something I'm already good at? _

Yesterday, Arden kept his promise of taking the day off and relaxing (and did a little homework at the nagging of his mother). He eventually got bored and decided to look for something interesting in his closet. He found an old red sweatshirt with a hood and some sunglasses to start. Arden figured he could use those to disguise himself while trying out his powers. Can't run the risk of someone recognizing him right? He also found a box that he put his stuff from when he joined the school paper.

It might have been a little cliché what with blogs on the internet and all, but Vale High decided to keep in touch with the old days and held on to using a newspaper to tell students the happenings at the school. Suffice it to say, The Daily Bugle finally transitioned into the modern day in the fall. Arden was a Bugle member two years ago and was pretty good at it. He quit when people started heckling him about his Faunus roots. Looking back, he wished he didn't quit, but Arden wasn't going to drag the paper down because of him. Though the one thing he doesn't miss was that stuck up, know-it-all, Jessica Jones telling him what to do.

Arden checked his Scroll and saw he had about fifteen minutes before the Living Brain expo opened. _Alright, I'll swing by the expo, show Samantha I was there, and be outta here for a quick lunch at McQueen's and then it's off to test drive my awesome powers._ Arden walks past an exhibit and peers inside. He stops, backs up, and gets a better look at the beautiful sight he just glanced at.

Standing in front of a glass case with some stone tablet inside was a cat Faunus with long flowing brown hair. Arden's heart skipped a beat at the radiant maiden. He walks up next to her and peers at the object. He looks at her and says, "Oh, hope I'm not intruding, just trying to get a better look at," he reads aloud the display name, "the 'Tablet of Order & Chaos'. Well that's a funny name for a rock."

The Faunus girl giggled and asked, "You don't talk to a lot of girls do you?"

Arden was taken aback, "What makes you say that?"

"You came right up next to me and tried to woo me with some lame joke. The fact that was the worst attempt I've ever heard tells me you don't do this kind of thing. That's the only reason why I laughed."

Arden sighs and says, "I'm sorry, you're right, this is the first time I've ever talked to a girl like this."

"You mean you _really_ never hit on a girl before?"

"Okay, I wasn't hitting on you, I just wanted to talk and say how pretty you are." Arden's eyes went wide as he realized what he blurted out. "I mean…get to know you and well…I didn't…no wait…God I wish life had a reset button"!

But the girl was flushed with red, "You really think I'm pretty? Even with…?" she pointed to her cat ears.

Arden calmed himself and replied, "That didn't cross my mind, well it did, but not in that way. I would have said the same thing regardless, in the same, stuttering manner."

The girl smiled, "What's your name?"

"Arden Ambrose and you are?"

"Isis, Isis Hardy."

As the two teenagers started to get to know each other, three thugs meanwhile had snuck into the soon to be opened exhibit of the Living Brain. These guys were the Enforcers, the top street side henchmen to the Big Man. Their leader was Montana, a guy dressed in a white suit and hat with a lariat strapped to his waist and a suitcase in his hand. On his left was Fancy Dan, a light weight fighter in a black tee and skinny jeans with gold chains hanging from his neck and twin knives spinning on his fingers. And finally on Montana's right was Ox, a large Bull Faunus wearing a track suit with the jacket zipped open.

The trio of degenerates stepped up to the large display with their acquisition standing before them. The Living Brain was a box like robot and the first of its kind to be built in the shape of a human. It had ball bearing feet to move around, hands with three digits to pick up objects, and served as the first mobile computer with an intelligence equivalent to an average man! It could answer any question, no matter how complex.

"Uh, how come we stealing this oversized toaster Montana?" Ox asked. "Don't make sense to me."

"Of course it doesn't you brainless bovine"! Montana quipped, "The boss believes this thing might be the key to great fortune. Think about it, we could ask this thing which sports team would win or which businesses to invest in. And the boss says that's just the tip of the ice berg"!

"But Montana," Fancy Dan started, "Even if we could get this thing working again, I doubt it could do all that stuff you said."

"Whatcha mean?"

"This thing was turned off decades ago and probably has info relevant to that time period only. How's it supposed to know about the here and now without an internet connection?"

Montana smiled as he held up the briefcase, "Once again, the Big Man thinks of everything." He kneels down and opens the case, revealing two canisters of Dust, a laptop, and a wire with a port for the computer on one end and an adapter for the Living Brain on the other.

"Uh, why are there two canisters of Dust Montana?" Ox asked leaning in.

"Cause this thing took _twice_ the amount than the bots today. And with this here adapter, we could plug the Brain here into the computer and download the last couple of decades of info straight into it. With all that relevant data and no wireless internet connection, we could ask all the questions we want and the cops can't track it."

"Where'd the Big Man get this stuff?" Fancy Dan asks.

"Don't know, don't care, just help me with this will ya? Ox, you keep a look out." Ox nods and turns to look at the doorway. Fancy Dan took out the laptop, booted it up, and plugged in his end of the adapter. Montana fed the Dust into the Brain's fuel door located in the back and watched as the glass dome of a head lit up. "Good morning sunshine. Hey Dan, hand me the other end of the adapter." Fancy Dan complies and Montana walked to the front of Brain and plugged the adapter into a slot of the control panel.

"Whoa-ho-ho, this thing is eating up data like Ox at an all-you-can-eat buffet! We should be done sooner than expected"!

"Good, sooner the better, I want to wheel this thing out of here before we get spotted."

"Uh Montana, Dan," Ox started but it was too late. Samantha Petty and the museum curator, a portly man with a clean shaven face, walked in and got a look at the Enforcers.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?"! The curator asked.

Fancy Dan twirled his knife and threw it at the curator, imbedding in his neck. Samantha was about to scream when Ox ran up and smothered her while holding her back.

"Damn"! Montana yelled, "Ox, keep that little missy's trap shut till we're outta here, Dan, grab that thing and let's go"!

Dan was about to nod when the laptop sizzled and fried. "The hell?"! He yelped.

"What now?"!

Suddenly, the Living Brain threw up its arms and started flailing them around. The body rocked violently and the head was blinking erratically and smoking.

"Is it supposed to do that?" Ox asked a little scared. The Living Brain stopped rocking, thrust out its arms, and wheeled off the display at high speeds.

Authors Note: annnnnd cliffhanger! Catch the exciting next chapter of the RWBY Spider to see Arden Ambrose tackle his first villain(s)!


	5. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

_Jack Ditko Natural History Museum, 10:51 am_

"Are you really one eighth Faunus?" Isis asked, smiling.

"Yep, see," Arden responds and smiles, revealing his pointy choppers. "I know they make me look like a vampire, but at least they help me eat steak easier."

Isis giggled; she'd never had a conversation with a boy in, well, ever actually. Always moving around, she couldn't indulge in the joys ordinary teens go through. But because she's a Faunus, Isis didn't think anyone less than a full blooded Faunus would even speak to her. She was glad to be proven wrong. _To think I came here to case the place out and end up meeting a nice guy!_ Isis thought. "This has been nice. One sec," Isis fished into her pocket and was about to pull something out when the duo heard a crash down the hall. "What was that?"!

"I don't know, wait here I'll check it out." Arden creeps out of the exhibit and heads towards the direction of the commotion. He sees the noise had come from the Living Brain exhibit and peers into the doorway. His eyes went wide as he saw three thugs dancing around trying to dodge an out of control, operational, Living Brain. Arden also saw that a large Bull Faunus holding back Samantha Petty. Just then, that tingle in the back of Arden's head, not as loud as the last time, began to go off again. He turns around abruptly to see Isis standing there.

"Whoa, you scared me"! Isis said jumping back startled.

Arden wanted to say something similar, but whatever that tingle was took all the surprise out of her approach. Instead, he responds, "I thought I said to stay put?"

Isis shrugs her shoulders, "I was curious."

Arden deadpans, "You know there is an analogy involving cats and curiosity right?"

"Meh," she responds and looks into the exhibit, "What the hell is going on in there?"

As the pair just stood there and talked, Montana spotted the teens and pulled out a gun from his waistband. He pointed it at Arden's head and was ready to fire.

That tingle in Arden's head went off again, more violently this time, and he moves himself and Isis back behind the wall to avoid the gunfire.

"I see your point," Isis said hyperventilating.

Arden looked to his left to see a fire alarm and pulled it. Isis blocked her cat ears over the loud ringing throughout the building. "Sorry, but it's the only way to get people out of here fast and the cops faster"! Arden takes her by the hand and leads Isis out of the museum. Several people followed after them, piling into the front and parking lot. As the crowd got thicker, the teens ended up separated from one another. _Sorry Isis, but I have to go back in there_ he thought,_ can't wait for the cops while there's something_ I _can do. Bright side, I get to test my powers sooner._ Arden slips through the crowd and makes it to his car. He popped the trunk and grabbed the sweatshirt and glasses.

Inside the museum, Montana tried shooting the Living Brain, but the machine kept dodging his bullets. Fancy Dan tried throwing a few knives, some imbedded in the machine while others were knocked away by the Living Brain. Ox kept away as much as he could while holding onto Samantha. But then the Brain tackled the Bull Faunus and lost his grip on the girl. Samantha made a break for the door, but Montana uncurled his lariat and snapped it, coiling around her wrist.

"Let me go"! Samantha screamed, struggling in vain.

"Sorry lil lady can't have witnesses," Montana responds tugging on the whip. Suddenly, one of Dan's knives was thrown and severed the whip. Samantha pulls away and runs out the door and straight for the exit. No one else noticed the Living Brain following her. "Dan what the hell?" he asks his colleague.

"That wasn't me"! Fancy Dan defends, leaping out of the way from the charging machine.

"Peek-a-boo"! Montana looks forward and a guy wearing a red sweatshirt with the hood down just appears from nowhere! The hooded man cocks back a fist and hits Montana square in the face, sending him flying back against the wall. "So who's next, gangsta-lite or the beefcake?"

Ox rubs his head and gets up, walking next to Fancy Dan. "Who the hell are you?" Dan asked.

"The guy who's gonna send you to the slammer"! Arden leaps up and lands in front of Dan. The Enforcer pulls out a knife in each hand and starts swiping at the hooded mystery man. The tingling in Arden's head was never ending as he ducked and side-stepped each attack before he finally delivered a spinning back kick across Dan's face. The mobster goes down, leaving Ox the only one standing, "How about it Slim, care to try your luck?" Before Ox could even respond, Arden heard screaming from outside. Arden was surprised he could hear that from all the way in the museum. But he also saw the Faunus react to it too. Did the spider bite enhance his five senses too? He looks at Ox, then the direction of the commotion, and made a decision. He ran out of the exhibit to see what the fuss was about.

When Arden ran, he noticed he was moving very fast. He was at the exit before he knew it. _Huh, guess I got super speed too?_ He thought. _Really should have studied my powers _yesterday_ if I knew I'd use them in public._ Arden snaps out of his thoughts and sees the spectacle outside. The Living Brain was wheeling out of control, people running for their lives and the police sirens were only in the distance. _Time to end this!_ Arden fires two web lines at the machine's back and pulled, stopping its rampage. Brain swiveled its head and saw the source of its unexpected stop. It turned its body swiftly, sending Arden, still holding the web lines, flying and hitting the side of the stone steps to the museum.

Arden let go of the webs and rubbed his head, slowly getting up. He was on one knee when the tingle returned. He looked up to see LB charging at him and Arden leapt over the robot. LB stopped, turned, and charged again at break neck speed with its arms out. The tingle was there again but this time Arden couldn't react in time. LB tackled him and grabbed him by the left arm and chest. Arden struggled and looked behind him to see he was about to be squished between the robot and a car. He fired a glob of web at the robot's optics and the machine abruptly stops, letting go of Arden. However, thanks to the laws of motion, when LB stopped and let Arden go, Arden kept going and hit the car against his back.

"Uh, could someone get the number of the car I hit?" he asked rhetorically. Arden turned to see he left a dent in the driver side passenger door. He looks at the crowd and says, "That will buff right out." Arden returns his attention to the battle to see LB rip the webbing off his eyes. Arden then fires a web line at each of the robot's hands and smashes them together. He follows up with several web balls to stick them together. And finally, he fires web at the ball bearing feet to keep it from moving. "Alright, time to end this"! Arden leans forward, building up both speed and power, and charges. He had a fist cocked back ready to impale the robot when LB ripped his arms free, breaking the webbing.

Seeing its opponent approaching, LB prepared to retaliate when it noticed it can no longer move. It tugged a few times but to no avail. It settled with its fixed position and thrusted its arms back, ready to push the hooded teen back when he struck.

Arden's tingling sensation warned him, but he saw it and found another solution. At the last second, just as the Living Brain thrust its arms forward, Arden spun around the robot and was facing its backside. All the Living Brain could do was swivel its head and watch the hooded teen punch a hole straight into its body. The robot sizzled for a few and finally powered down, dropping to the ground as Arden pulled his fist away.

"You've been terminated," Arden muttered in a fake accent. _Now that that's taken care of, better finish off those thugs_ he thought as he ran back into the museum.

Arden returned to the exhibit to find the Enforcers gone. "Damnit, they got away"! He yelled. "I should have webbed them down so they couldn't move. Now they're free to commit more crimes." Arden heard the police finally arrive as they barged through the entrance. "Time to disappear"! Arden turns invisible and sneaks away before the cops enter the exhibit.

Back outside, the crowd has calmed down and the people watched as the police cordoned off the area. Isis looked around, hoping to see that Arden boy she was with. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Arden there. "There you are"! She shouted.

"Are you okay?" Arden asked worried.

"I'm fine; did you see what just happened?"

"No, when we got separated, the crowd kept pushing me away from the museum. I heard a commotion but couldn't see anything."

"You missed it?! Some guy in a hood just took down that out of control robot! He was amazing! He was strong, shot this string from his wrists, and moved so fast! I wonder if he was a Huntsman."

"No idea, wish I saw it."

"Well at least no one got hurt, that's a relief."

"Yes, yes it is." Arden looks back over the police presence and then at Isis.

The Cat Faunus blushed and said, "Well I better head home now."

"Need a lift? I could drop you off."

Isis thinks about it. While she just met this guy, his offer actually seems better than the strangers on the bus staring at her, judging her. "You know what, that would be cool, thanks."

Arden leads Isis to his car across the crowded parking lot. As she made her way to the passenger side, Arden noticed his trunk door ajar from when he stuffed his disguise. He shuts it quickly, gets in the driver's seat, and drives away from the museum.

Meanwhile in the museum, the cops were busy investigating the area and collecting evidence. One officer carried the damaged laptop. Though the computer itself was destroyed, something had escaped into the information super highway, vowing to return.

_Hardy Manor, 11:43 am_

Arden pulls up to the front of the mansion as Isis told him they've arrived. "Wow, you live here?" Arden asked.

"Yep, just me and my sisters," Isis replied, "I'd introduce you, but they're a little overprotective. They might rip you apart"!

"Well if they're half as pretty as you, it would be worth it"!

Isis smacks his arm playfully. Then she remembers something, "Oh wait." She digs into her pocket, pulls out a piece of paper and pen, and jots something down. "Here." She hands him the paper and Arden sees seven digits. "Call me sometime?"

Arden was stunned speechless as Isis got out of the door. "Y-you bet"!

"See ya around"! Isis waved as Arden drove off. She walked up to the door and it opened to reveal Felicia standing there.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"A boy I met at the museum."

Felicia raised an eyebrow, "Is he cute?"

"Like you'll ever find out," Isis passed her sister and headed upstairs.

"Oh I will," Felicia responds closing the doors.

_Alchemax Lab 10, Undisclosed Location, 12:02 pm_

Michael Morbius, looking sickly, struggled in vain to break loose of his bonds. He was tied to a chair in a stark white room. "What is the meaning of this?"! He yelled in vain. "Why did you abduct me?"! Contrary to the official report of Morbius's disappearance, he was knocked out right after the break in and transferred to the mysterious lab.

Otto Octavius and Carolyn Trainer walked in the room, Ock's tentacles moving around on their own, one of them held a briefcase. "Now, now Michael, you really shouldn't be upset," Otto said trying to calm him down, "We all know you wouldn't have lived much longer. We may very well be saving your life here."

"Screw you Otto! You think I don't know what you were doing here _before_ Dr. Trainer took over?! You might as well kill me now"!

"You should not have had access to that kind of information."

"Like you said Otto, I'm dying, so what did I really have to lose if I was caught."

"Well for one thing, you would have been brought here sooner." The tentacle with the briefcase moved in front of the doctor and Ock opens it. He pulls out an injector and placed a vial with a strange liquid inside. He walked forward and Morbius started thrashing.

"GET THAT THING AWAY FROM ME"!

"Come now Michael, I think you'll really enjoy this concoction. It's got Kame DNA in it." Morbius's eyes widened; Kame is a nocturnal bat Grimm. Octavius sticks the needle in Morbius's arm and pressed the injector down.

"NOOOOOOOO"! Michael Morbius began to thrash even more violently and started convulsing. Foam formed at the mouth and his body started changing. Ock stepped back and grinned like a mad man, Carolyn looked a little disgusted.

_The Home of Arden Ambrose, 12:10 pm_

Arden stepped through the door of his house and ran to the stairway. "Hey mom I'm back"! He yelled toward the living room before running up the stairs.

"Hi son," Alison responds, sitting on the couch sipping a glass of water watching the news. Dexter Dunbar came onto the screen with a story from The Kennel.

_"In other news, still no update on a mysterious mugging that may have occurred here two days ago. No perpetrators were apprehended, but several weapons and equipment were recovered."_ Pictures of shuriken, kunai knives, and a metal headband with a black flower on it were shown. Alison dropped her water in shock.

_Have they returned, or did they ever leave?_ Alison thought, afraid for her family's safety.

In Arden's room, he threw his sunglasses and sweatshirt in the closet and lied down on his bed. Ebony jumped up and sat on his stomach, he started scratching her ears. "Ebony, you're never gonna belief it! I used my powers to help people _and_ I think I just got a girlfriend"!

_"Meow,"_ Ebony responded, sounding skeptical.

"No really, and you'd like her, you and her have a few things in common."

_"Meow,"_ she replied sternly.

"Oh don't be jealous."

_Vale City, 3:32 pm_

Roman Torchwick looked around the warehouse and his men. They were all low level thugs that get paid to do whatever he said. "Well gentlemen, I take it there are no objections?" he asked his gang of miscreants.

"Boss, not that I'm complaining about a big score, but don't we have to let the Big Man know?" asked Alexander O'Hirn, a large man with brown hair and blue eyes wearing a grey jacket and pants.

Roman grinned and twirled his cane. "Come now O'Hirn, you can't possibly be satisfied sitting on your large ass waiting for the Big Man to call? There are so many riches we can take without his help. Don't you want to be filthy, stinking rich?"

"Yeah"!

"And the rest of you, are you sick of the Big Man too?"

"Hell Yeah"! The rest of the crooks yelled, throwing their fists in the air.

"Then come tomorrow, the Kirby Mutual Bank won't know what hit it"! More cheers filled the warehouse with talks of riches and needless wants.

_Vale City High School, Monday March 19__th__ 10:25 am_

The bell rang and Arden walked into the hall. With a few minutes before the next class, he wanted to see Samantha and check on her. When he got to her locker, she wasn't there.

"She's not here today," Arden turned to see Roxanne Vulpes holding her books.

"Oh Roxy, what happened to Samantha?"

"You were there, don't you know?"

"All I know is some guy beat up that machine and took off."

"That and some crooks who tried to steal the Living Brain murdered the museum curator. Samantha saw it and it traumatized her. She's seeing a shrink."

Arden couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was so busy fighting those thieves he didn't even see the curators body. And worse, he let them get away! _If I ever see those guys again…,_ Arden thought, but shook his head to return to the conversation. "That's horrible Roxy; I hope Samantha gets the help she needs."

"Me too, I can't imagine what she's going through."

"Everything okay here babe?" Arden and Roxy turn to see Tyler Stone and two of his friends/Grifball teammates wearing their team jackets. The first was Phil Urich, a young man with green eyes and brown hair. He looked very serious, standing behind his team captain like a sentinel. The other is the dark skinned Denzel Kelly, a teen with black hair and a grin plastered on his face. Denzel has always given Arden a hard time, especially when no one else is around.

"Everything is fine hon," Roxy said, "Just talking to Arden."

"You better be careful Roxy," Denzel interjects, "This Ambrose guy is a tricky one. He's like a wolf in sheep's clothing, or whatever part Faunus he is."

"Denny, how many times have I told you to lay off the Faunus jokes?" Tyler asked sternly.

"Sorry Tyler forgot you were standing there."

"Telling those jokes in general are hurtful regardless," Roxanne adds.

"Meh, it's a free kingdom."

Arden narrows his eyes at Tyler and his goon squad and says, "Yeah I'm gonna go." He starts off to his next class.

Roxy huffs and walks past her boyfriend and his friends. "You don't have to be jealous all the time"! She calls back.

"Roxy"! Tyler calls after her, Urich right behind him.

As Arden was about to enter his next class, he was spun around by Kelly, "Like I said hybrid, watch your ass." He walks away, not taking his eyes of him till he's down the hall. Arden just shrugs the threat away and enters the room as the bell rings.

_Kirby Mutual Bank, 2:56 pm_

Two vans pull up to the bank's entrance and several men in ski masks and brandishing assault rifles jump out. They shuffled exiting patrons back inside and shot a few rounds in the air.

"Get on the ground now"! Alex O'Hirn yelled. The other robbers move through the bank and forced people on their knees, pulled tellers from behind their desks before they could trip the silent alarms, and disarmed the security guards.

Roman Torchwick strolled inside twirling his cane while whistling a jaunty tune. Smug son of a bitch wasn't even wearing a mask. "Alright, nobody panic will be out of here before you could say road kill," he said charismatically. "Any one try to be a hero and you'll get your head blown off. Also," he walks up to the bank manager as he's dragged from his office, "Give me the keys to the vault."

"There's no key, it's password protected," the manager said scared out of his mind.

"Okay, then give me the password."

The manager, despite being terrified, stood his ground, "N-no, I w-won't let you s-steal from my b-bank."

"Hm," Roman pulls out a cigar, lights it, and blows smoke in his face. "Alex, break his arm."

Alex smiles as the manager's eyes grew wide and began begging. The head thug kicks his captor's legs and forces him to the ground. And then he stomped on his right arm several times before he heard a pop.

"You feel up to talking now?" Torchwick asked.

"Yes! For the love of God yes"! The manager yelled.

"Well, you pissed me off so…Alex, break his legs." O'Hirn grins again and grabs a small baton from his inside jacket pocket. "But don't cripple him; I _want_ him to feel the pain for as long as possible." The other hostages watch as this thug mercilessly beats a man and breaks his legs. Is there no one to stop this madness?

_Vale City, 3:02 pm_

Arden Ambrose stood atop a rooftop, his sweatshirt sprawled open with a cardboard cutout and a can of black spray paint. Last night, he cut a design into a piece of cardboard, hoping to add some flare to his amateur outfit. He even found a red mask and glued the lenses from his sunglasses to the eyeholes. He places the design, a small spider with four legs pointed up and the other four down, on the front of the sweatshirt. He picks up the can of spray paint, shakes it, and sprays black paint on the cardboard. Arden removes the cardboard and picks up the sweatshirt, admiring the logo.

"Now that's how you class up a sweatshirt"! Arden yelled. Suddenly, police sirens below blared past and Arden saw them head down the street. "Either it's free donut day or troubles a brewing! Maybe I should invest in that Police Scanner App on my Scroll so I know what's happening. Regardless, people might be in danger, and I can't live with myself if someone dies again."

Arden pulls the mask from his bag and puts it on. He then puts on the sweatshirt with the newly christened logo, pulls down the hood, and swings off to face dangers unknown.

Authors Note: Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion of the first story arc! Will Arden Ambrose take down one of Vale City's nefarious criminals?


	6. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

_Outside Kirby Mutual Bank, 3:07 pm_

Arden lands unseen on the roof of a building across from the bank. He looks down to see cops swarming the front of the bank, patrol cars and even a mobile command center. He looks over to the roof of the bank to see two masked thugs with guns just walking around and keeping an eye out in case the cops try anything. _There are probably more inside_ Arden thought. _As for how many, I haven't a clue. But that's okay; I'll remain invisible and stick to the ceiling, picking them off one by one. But first…_, Arden fires two web lines to the bank, turns invisible, and zips himself across.

On the bank's roof, the two thugs stopped pacing around and stood next to each other. One of them had the radio on, and they listened to the sounds of Alex O'Hirn breaking the manager's legs.

_"For the love of God have mercy"!_ The manager shouted as they heard snapping and grunting sounds in the background.

"I can't listen to this shit anymore"! Thug #1 said and turned his radio off.

"What's got into you?" Thug #2 asked.

"Doesn't that bother you? Listening to a grown man pleading for his life while some other mook shatters your legs into pieces?"

"If I knew the guy maybe, but it's some stranger who didn't do what the boss said. Have to make a lesson out of him so the others will fall in line and not try anything funny."

"Nah I get that it's just, did the boss _have _to order O'Hirn to break his legs? He just broke the guy's arm and was willing to talk. What does breaking his legs get us?"

"You got a point, it don't make no sense. But then again, that Torchwick's always been a little sadist."

"You're telling me! This one time, some punk took one of the boss's cigars right out of his hand and the smug son of a bitch asked for someone to light him up"!

"No sah"!

"If I'm lyin', I'm dyin! Anyway, Torchwick said he'd be happy to. Next thing you know, he raised that cane of his, and the gun barrel opens up and he fired, right in the suckah's face"!

"Sheesh, sounds like quite the mess"!

"And guess what sorry bastard had to clean it up?" The two robbers laughed and looked straight ahead, listening to the police sirens.

"Speaking of messes, this sure is one Torchwick landed us in."

"Don't worry, when that bus gets here, we'll load it full of cash and be outta the city before you can say 'speed demon'."

"Not this, I mean turning against the Big Man. Won't he have us all killed for doing something he didn't give permission for?"

"Not if we get out of the city and hold up someplace safe. Then we can kick back and retire." Suddenly, Thug #2's gun lifts up on its own and smacks him in the face. Before his pal could react, he's sweeped off his feet and a hard blow impacts his cheek, knocking him out.

Arden decloaks and stands over the two unconscious thugs, panting. _Never took down anyone so quietly before _He thought. _What a rush!_ Arden webs the robbers to the roof and takes one of their radios. _Now I can eavesdrop on their conversations._ He heads for the roof access and descends into the hornets' nest below.

Meanwhile on the ground, Detective Quaid stood inside the mobile commander center, sweating and trying to think of a plan to save the hostages _and_ take down Torchwick. He's already kicking himself for giving into their demands so soon, but he had no choice. If Torchwick's willing to torture his hostages, what choice did he have but to concede for their sake? He was hoping the snipers in place could take out the mascara wearing son of a bitch.

_"Sir, Sniper 3 here, we got movement on the roof,"_ reported the officer on the water tower on a roof behind the scene.

"What do you got?" Quaid asked, talking into his walkie.

_"I don't know how to describe it, but some guy in a red hooded sweatshirt just appeared from nowhere and took out the guys on the roof. Repeat, the roof is clear."_

Quaid raised an eyebrow and wanted to ask the obvious question, but instead asked, "And the mystery guy?"

_"Went straight into the bank, orders?"_

"Keep an eye out, looks like things just got interesting." Quaid puts down the walkie and addresses the other officers in the command center. "Alright everyone listen up! An opportunity has just presented itself. The perps on the roof have been dispatched by a third party, leaving it clear for an entry way. McCormick, see if you can delay that bus as long as possible, but keep it at a pristine distance in case we can salvage this. Hockney, get SWAT on the horn. I want Tork and his squad loaded up and ready for action. We have a limited window here people, let's make the most of it." Quaid watched as his officers scrambled and relayed his orders, hoping that they're not too late.

_The Home of Ruby Rose, 3:19 pm_

Ruby and Yang were in the living room of their uncle's house, watching the news and the robbery in progress. "You think the cops can pull it off?" Ruby asked her sister.

Yang just smiled and said, "No worries Rubs, this is Vale's Finest we're talking about. Though those crooks are lucky I wasn't there or I'd kick all their asses and send them crying all the way to the slammer"! Ruby smiled and kept watching the action. _Oh God please don't screw this up you incompetent bastards!_ Yang thought.

_The Home of Travis Jackson_

Travis was in his basement, curling a couple of two hundred pound dumbbells. He hasn't done this for a while and decided to take it easy at first. As he curled, he had the T.V on the developing hostage situation. "Criminal scum," he muttered after dropping the weights, five hundred curls each arm later.

_Inside Kirby Mutual Bank, 3:20 pm_

Arden crept up to the corner and peered out to see the stairwell leading to the ground floor. The radio cackled to life and he moved back, hugging the wall.

_"Hooligan, Frankfurt and Earnest haven't been responding to my calls,"_ Roman Torchwick said, a little agitated. _"You and Crotch head up to the roof and find out what's up"!_

_ "Got it boss,"_ Hooligan responds, _"Hooligan out."_ Minus the two on the roof, Frankfurt and Earnest Arden figures, he tallied up seven more robbers left in the building, nine in total to start.

_And now it will be down to five_ Arden thinks as he sees shadows rising from the stairs. Two more masked thugs arrive at the top of the stairs and start down the hallway. Arden jumps up on the ceiling, sticks there, and listens.

"Wonder what the hell those two are doing up there?" one of them asked.

"Could be taking a piss," the other responds.

"That's no excuse to not pick up your radio and neglect your check in. I swear if the cops are pulling something funny…"

"Nah, they wouldn't want to risk the poor, innocent people from getting hurt. They're too stupid to try anything."

"And if they are?"

"Then we waste a hostage and throw their body out for the four o'clock news."

"I hope we kill one of the Faunus, one less animal in the world right?" The crooks snicker and round the corner. Crotch heard a _thwip _and saw his gun ripped out of his hand and pulled above him. Suddenly, both thugs saw someone drop down between them.

Arden smacked the gun across its owner's face as the tingle sensation returned. After some thought, Arden realized that this tingling is some kind of sixth sense that warns him of danger and allows him to process many different events happening simultaneously. He decided to call this his "Spider Sense". And now his Spider Sense is telling him that the other thug is raising his rifle to fire. Arden fires a web line and yanks the weapon from Hooligan's hand. He followed up with an uppercut to the jaw and webbed both goons to the floor and their mouths shut so they can't call for help.

"Wow, you guys really suck at this huh?" Arden asked, mocking the defeated henchmen. "Now don't go anywhere, we'll be right back right after these buttkickings"! The thugs struggled and mumbled angrily as Arden swung down the hall and stuck to the wall above the stairwell. He turned invisible and crawled onto the ceiling above the ground floor.

Right below him, Arden saw Roman Torchwick with this big guy in grey standing over a bruised and bloodied bank manager. The three remaining robbers stood in front of the hostages, all of them a mixture of humans and Faunus sniveling and cowering on the ground. There were bags of money at Torchwick's feet from when his men raided the vault. Torchwick was holding a phone and yelling into it.

"If that bus isn't here in three minutes, then a hostage is going to die"! Torchwick shouted and listened to the response. "Don't tell me to be patient! My patience is already gone"! Torchwick slams the phone shut and grabs his cane. "Well the cops just pissed me off," he said looking down at the manager, "And you know what happens when I get pissed." The bank manager started to quiver and then cry as Torchwick pointed the cane at his head. "Look at it this way; no more pain."

Before Roman could fire, Arden jumps down from the ceiling and lands on the kiosk in the middle of the room. He fires a web line and rips the cane from Roman's hand. Arden snaps the cane in half with his leg and says, "Lights out Torchwick"!

Spider Sense blaring, Arden pivoted and jumped to avoid the three robbers behind him as they opened fire. As Arden flipped in midair, he threw one half of Roman's cane to each thug at the opposite ends of the room. The broken pieces knocked the weapons out of the thugs' hands and he fired several globs of webbing, incapacitating them. He did all this right before he landed on his feet in front of the third crook. Arden kicks the rifle out of his hand and punches the crook in the gut. He throws him off and webs him to the floor.

Arden's Spider Sense went off again to see the big guy charging for him. Arden back flipped over O'Hirn's head and kicked him in the back, sending him toppling into the front desk. The teen webbed the big guy to the counter and quipped, "Sorry, but if you wanted to make a withdrawal, you need to fill out the little green slip"!

Torchwick just stood there, defenseless with gritted teeth, as this masked punk just laid waste to his men. "Who the hell do you think you are?"! He demanded.

Arden turned, grinning under his mask, and said, "Just a concerned citizen."

Outside the back, the police had gathered with news crews in the background, and were ready to storm the building. The bullhead carrying the SWAT team couldn't get here soon enough as they heard gunfire inside. Quaid was about to give the order when the doors burst open, and the detective saw something he will never forget. The man in the red hooded sweatshirt his sniper informed him off flew out on a string he shot from his wrists and swung away. Quaid made out additional features like a mask and a black spider on his chest. But his immediate concern was the hostages as they poured out of the bank.

"Take care of them"! He ordered several of his men and then pointing to the rest, "Follow me"! Quaid and this cop's move into the building with their guns pointed out, in case any robbers were left. The veteran detective saw the bank manager on the ground in agony and ordered two of his cops to escort him to an ambulance. Quaid didn't take two more steps before seeing a sight that dumbfounded him; Roman Torchwick hanging upside down on some strange, sticky rope. The crime boss was rocking back and forth, struggling and shouting profanities with his mouth gagged. His bowler hat was right below him where it fell. Quaid saw a note attached to Torchwick's body and ripped it off.

It read, _"Presenting the first in a new line of Prison candles; Essence of Torchwick."_

Unamused, Quaid pocketed the paper for evidence collection later. He walked up to Roman and said, "Well, well, the infamous Roman Torchwick, got nothing to say?" Roman mumbled something incoherent that Quaid figured meant "Smart ass." The detective looked around and saw the rest of Torchwick's men also incapacitated by the strange rope as well.

"Sir, we found two more of Torchwick's men glued to the ground on the second floor," one of his officers reported.

"Alright, that's two on the roof, two on the second floor, four more knuckleheads and their boss right here. That's nine thugs who aren't gonna see the light of day for a long time. And we didn't do a damn thing."

The officer looks at the bound criminals and asks, "You think a Hunter did this sir?"

"No, Hunters are responsible for handling much bigger threats than bank robbers. This was the work of an amateur, albeit one with _some_ skill and…" he looks at the webbing again, "unique abilities."

"What are you thinking sir?"

Quaid takes off his glasses and cleans them. He puts them back on and declares, "We have a vigilante on our hands."

_The Home of Ruby Rose, 3:41 pm_

The eyes of Ruby and Yang were wide open as the news footage showed the hooded figure swinging out of the bank. "Oh. My. God" Ruby said slowly.

"Yeah, that was a thing," Yang said, not sure what to make of it.

"That guy stole my look"! Ruby yelled and Yang fell back in surprise. Ruby then looked at her own hands and asked, "I wonder if I could shoot string too?"

_The Home of Travis Jackson_

Travis saw the footage as well and had a different opinion of the situation. "Hm, interesting," he said as he walked over to his punching bag, continuing his workout.

_The Home of Arden Ambrose, 4:08 pm_

Arden pulls into the driveway and enters his home. He saw his parents in the living room, watching a recap of the events earlier. They were watching that VNN reporter Dexter Dunbar as he gave the synopsis.

_"Dexter Dunbar here and are top story continues to be a foiled robbery at the Kirby Mutual Bank. The infamous crime boss Roman Torchwick and his men charged into the bank and demanded money and a bus out of town or else they would start killing hostages. But unknown to even the police, a mysterious man in a red hood and mask came from nowhere and stopped the criminals. According to eye witness reports, this extraordinary person seemingly appeared from thin air, is capable of great acrobatic feats, and can shoot a sticky substance from his hands, and took down Torchwick and his men single handedly. We have also received word that this is the same person who stopped the rampaging Living Brain just yesterday at the Jack Ditko Museum. Taking in these incredible abilities and what some people have seen a spider emblem on the masked man's chest; police and many citizens have started calling this vigilante 'The Spider'. Yes folks, you heard right, Vale City now has its very own vigilante."_

Leonard turns off the T.V and turns to Arden. "Welcome home son, you heard about that huh?" he asked.

"Yeah, heard about it on the radio, crazy stuff," Arden replied shrugging it off. _Ugh! 'The Spider', not what I would have gone with!_ Arden thought. He started for the stairs when his mother stopped and hugged him. "Uh, everything okay mom?" he asked as he pulled away.

"Just wanted to say how glad I am to see you son," Alison responds. Arden noticed she was acting a little strange.

"Are you sure everything's fine?"

"Yes son, there's nothing to worry about. What's new with you?"

"Nothing much, but I need to make a call so…" he runs up the stairs and shuts his door.

Alison smirked, "Sounds like our boy met a girl."

Leonard nodded and said, "Yeah…wait what? How can you tell?"

"Oh, a mother knows."

Arden took out his Scroll and dialed the number on the paper he left on his desk. He was sweating bullets as the dial tone sounded. _Weird, I had no problem smacking bad guys around, but I call a girl and suddenly it's a life or death situation?_ Arden asked himself. Ebony was curled up in the corner napping while Arden paced around.

The Scroll picks up and the voice of an angel answers, _"Hello?"_

Arden swallowed a lump and said, "Hey Isis? It's Arden Ambrose, the guy you met at the museum."

_"Oh yeah, surprised to hear from you so soon"!_

"Yeah, uh, wasn't sure how this whole thing goes, wasn't sure if I was supposed to wait a couple days or call you sooner or…?"

_"It's okay, relax. This is all new to me too, let's just take it slow."_

"Right, so anyway, I was wondering if you weren't doing anything Friday, maybe we could go out for a bite to eat?"

_"That sounds cool, anywhere in particular?"_

"Well there is this new place that just opened up last week that I've been meaning to try out. It's right in the city at the corner of 5th and Slott."

_"Ooooh, I think I know where you're talking about, and that would be nice."_

"So how about I pick you up at six with reservations for six-thirty?"

_"That's good for me."_

"Well then it's a date! See you Friday," Arden hangs up and throws his arms in the air. The sudden action startled Ebony out of her slumber. "Sorry Ebony, but I got a date"!

_"Meow,"_ the feline responds with a lack of empathy of her owner's success.

"Oh you're just grouchy because I disturbed your cat nap."

Ebony growls softly in response.

"I got to tell ya Ebony, today was great. I helped put away one of the city's most wanted criminals, learned more about my powers, and that little miracle you just witnessed. I think this is the start of something beautiful." Arden jumps on his bed with his hands resting on his head.

_Alchemax Tower, 8:02 pm_

In the dark office of the company's CEO, Tiberius Stone sat at his desk with one of his most trusted employees standing before him. His features were blurred by the darkness of the shadows and his clothing. Gustav Fiers spoke in a way that only strengthens his anonymity.

"I've spoken with the Enforcers," he said with a gravelly voice, "And after hearing the details of the incident earlier today, they've confirmed it was the same guy from the museum."

"I see," was Tiberius's response.

"Sir, given the details of the…" Stone stopped him with a hand.

"Say no more Gustav, I know where you're going with this, and I agree. It is of no coincidence that just a couple days after thieves tried to steal the spider that some masked freak suddenly possesses the enhanced attributes of an arachnid. Despite the lack of video evidence, it would appear that the spider _did_ bite someone before being killed. This so called vigilante, this 'Spider', is Alchemax property."

"Do you want me to order Vale's lawless criminals to search for this Spider?"

Tiberius thinks and replied, "No, tell them to stand down and continue operations as normal."

Gustav nods and then asks, "And Torchwick? What of him?"

Tiberius rose and shouted, "That greedy little prick can rot for all I care! By leaving him in prison, it will send a message to all my subordinates that disobedience will not be tolerated. I did not become the Big Man by showing mercy on those who do not obey orders. Turn your back to me, and you will not be protected."

"Very good sir, is that all?"

"Yes, for now, that is all I need from you. You are dismissed." Gustav nods again and leaves via the elevator. As the doors closed, the shadows shifted, revealing several ninjas who were standing there the entire team. One of them moves to the screen door and Tiberius smiles as a familiar figure drops down. The door opens to reveal a woman wearing all black with a white porcelain kabuki mask covering her face with a black flower on the forehead. She had bright red hair tied back into a pony tail and Tiberius could make out those scathing green eyes beneath the mask. "And then there is you my dear."

"I am no one's 'dear' Tiberius," she responds sharply, "You should treat your business partners with more respect."

"My apologies Hana Kage," Tiberius says bowing his head, "But I am in need of your services. Considering your men were already in the city, I might as well look you up."

"What makes you think we've ever left? My men were following up on a contract we accepted from the White Fang." Stone gritted his teeth at the mention of the terrorist group. "Hit a nerve?"

"More than one, but who am I to tell you how to run your clan? We are merely partners after all."

The woman, Hana Kage, walks up to Stone's desk and picks up a picture of him with his son. "What is it you desire of the Black Lotus Clan?"

Tiberius takes the picture back and places it precisely where it was before. "There was an incident at one of my offsite laboratories. A dangerous test subject has escaped and I have reason to believe he is on his way back to the city. I want your clan to recapture him for me. Be warned, from the brief notes my scientists have acquired from studying him, he has become very strong and can even leap great distances. And despite his primitive behavior and bestial appearance, he has retained his human intelligence."

"What _exactly_ are we dealing with?"

"My scientists call it a Cross-species. That is all you need to know."

"And what makes you so sure this thing is coming back here?"

Tiberius narrows his eyes and responds…

_The Outskirts of Remnant, just outside Vale Kingdom, 11:59 pm_

A pack of Beowolves, consisting of eight Grimm, ran for the walls of the Vale Kingdom. As they charged, they felt a change in the air. They stopped and saw one of their own was missing. The Beowolves look behind them to see their fallen comrade, on the ground with a human shaped being standing over the body, its heads buried in the Beowolf's neck. They growled, and the being looked up.

In the pale moonlight stood a being with chalk white skin, red eyes, a leaf nose, and fangs and claws covered in blood. It roared a horrid battle cry and charged the creatures of Grimm.

_"…Because I'm the one responsible for turning him into a monster."_

Authors Note: Awwwwww Yeah! The first arc of the reboot, which I've called _Learning to Crawl_, is done! For the record, if you ever want to see what titles I give my story arcs, just look up my profile or check out future installments of the Deadpool Show. But I just want to say that I have a major homework assignment due next week, so depending on when I finish it, expect my next update in the coming week (week of 10/6/14). Tell me what you think of the first arc, positive and negative comments, or if you have some ideas, just PM me and we can discuss them. This is Scam Man signing off for now!


	7. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

_Vale City, Wednesday March 21__st__, 8:45 pm_

It was a typical dark cool night in Vale City. The street lights beamed bright as evening passersby's walk home or to their cars. One couple certainly didn't expect to see someone in a glittering, silver suit with yellow goggles, knee pads and arm bracers skate up to them and snatch the lady's purse. Her boyfriend tried to grab the thief's arm, but it somehow slipped through his fingers.

"Somebody stop that guy"! The man shouted.

_No one can lay a finger on me fool!_ The thief thought skating down the sidewalk and swerving other citizens, bags from other victims dangling over his shoulders. He suddenly skidded to a stop when a figure in a red hood and a black spider on his chest dropped down in front of him. "I heard of you, the new sheriff in town," the thief snickered.

"And you are Mr. Platinum?" Arden asked, questioning the strange guy in the sparkly outfit.

"Surprised you haven't heard about me. The news christened me the Street Side Slyde three weeks ago."

Arden points out a finger at the revelation, "Oh yeah, the guy who "slips away" from the tightest grip, lamest thing I've ever heard. Whatcha do, cover yourself in 'I Can't Believe it's Not Butter'?"

"Oh yeah," Slyde pulls out a gun and points it in Arden's face, "This lame jackass?"

Arden was about to retaliate when he realized that his Spidey Sense wasn't going off. "Wait," Arden fires a web line and pulls the gun out of Slyde's hand. Arden inspects it and said, "You got to be kidding me." He pulls the trigger and water squirts out.

"Yeah I don't how to use guns."

"Kind a figured that." Arden fires his webbing and ensnares the criminal. But he was surprised when he slipped out and tossed the webbing aside. "Well that's a first."

"Looks like even the spider can't keep me in his web. Gotta slide"! Slyde jerks right and jumps over the hood of a car and starts skating down the empty street. Arden watches as the criminal starts picking up speed.

_He can sure move, but…_ Arden thought as he jumped off and swung after him. Less than thirty seconds was all it took to catch up from behind. _I can overtake him, but can't keep him still. So let's try something else._ Arden watched Slyde gliding down the street while he kept glancing ahead of him, picking the right moment. After a few swings, Arden fires a web line at the driver side door of a car and pulled it off its hinges, hitting Slyde. The criminal slid on his back and hit his head against a fire hydrant. Arden lands in front of the downed criminal and coats his entire body from neck to feet with a cocoon of webbing.

"Let's see you slip out of that," Arden said as he heard police sirens in the distance. "I'll let the boys in blue take it from here." Arden jumps up and swings away, feeling proud helping take down another notorious criminal.

_Dazzler Theater, 9:29 pm_

Crowds outside were cheering as the pop star Britney Amber Fox came strutting out in a revealing red dress. She was smiling for the cameras and waving to her adoring fans while they screamed her name. The blond beauty stepped into her limo and it drove off.

The pop star sighed while grabbing a water and said, "Take me home Bernard, need to rest up for tomorrow."

"Oh trust me; you'll do more than rest." Britney looks up and jumps back at the sight of a man in a black hood, cloak and skull mask staring back at her. She looks over her shoulder to see another man holding a gun to her driver's head.

"W-who the hell are you?" she asked, scared out of her mind.

"We haven't been speaking for ten seconds and you're already scared. And I haven't even started." He went into his coat pocket and pulled out a strange looking handgun. Britney leaned back in her seat terrified with tears in her eyes.

"Please don't kill me! Y-you can have whatever you want, but please don't kill me"!

"Relax my dear, you will not die, but there are some things we need to discuss." He fires and a _puff_ sound fills the limo. For a brief second, the pop star saw this gas pellet zoom through the air and hit her chest. Greenish gas envelopes the young woman and she started to cough. She can feel her heart rate skyrocketing and panicked. "Now, shall we begin?"

_The Home of Arden Ambrose, Thursday March 22__nd__, 7:12 am_

Arden sat on the couch eating a bowl of cereal while watching the news. Dexter Dunbar was in the midst of recapping the events of last night.

_"…And in other news, last night was filled with more terror on the streets. Five more people have been found drained of their blood across the city. They were brought to the hospital in critical condition and received transfusions. This strange pattern of crimes has occurred in the past two nights and police are still baffled. Some fear this may be the work of the Grimm but that is unlikely because all Grimm kill their prey, not leave them for dead."_

"A strange monster terrorizing the city, better keep my spider enhanced eyes and ears peeled in my patrols." Arden discovered that all his senses were boosted after the spider bite. Sure he already had better senses because of his heritage, but it feels like they've been upgraded to superhuman levels. He can hear events great distances away and can completely see in the blackest night.

_"But it's not all bad as just last night, the infamous street thief Street Side Slyde was finally apprehended. Police responded to a theft in progress and found the slippery scoundrel completely covered in an inescapable cocoon of webbing. Eyewitnesses claimed that the vigilante the Spider arrived and stopped Slyde from escaping. Police have yet to release the identity of Slyde, but that information is forthcoming."_

"Alright, another criminal off the street."

_"And finally in Entertainment News, the pop star Britney Amber Fox was found in her limousine parked in a deserted alley, ranting and panicked. The two time Starry winner said she was held against her will by a man in a skull mask and fired a gun filled with a gaseous substance. The starlet is currently recovering at Vale General. Ms. Fox is just the latest wealthy individual who was pilfered by a man who seems to be reminiscent of the old terrorist/serial killer Mister Fear. For those of you unfamiliar, former prosecutor Lawrence Cranston used a drug to spread panic thirty years ago…"_

Arden turns off the T.V and puts his dishes in the sink. _Mister Fear, granddad told me stories about that nutcase, though he was always vague on the details. Ah well, I can dwell on this during my patrol, right now I need to think about my financial problem. Sure I have enough saved up for now, but if I want to keep seeing Isis, I need cash. I'll start the job hunt first thing after school._ Arden leans down, scratches Ebony's ears, and heads out the door.

_Vale City Police Department, 8:23 am_

Franklin Quaid was in his office, pinning up a picture of the criminal Slyde under a column dubbed _Closed Cases._ Slyde is actually a former chemist named Jalome Beacher who created a chemical coating that made any object lose its friction between said object and all substances. He applied the coating to a suit that allowed him to skate like he was on ice and slip out of any grip. Guy felt like he was covered in butter. He used his invention to steal money in order to continue his research. He won't be doing that now that he's behind bars! Detective Quaid sighed and rubbed the back of his head as he sat down at his desk.

"Long night Frank, cause I could come back," Quaid looked up and smiled at a blast from the past. Jeffery Ambrose, a balding man pushing seventy wearing a tweed jacket, white shirt and red tie combo underneath, and black jeans, walked in with a cane in hand. He approached the desk and shook hands with his former protégé/partner.

"Not at all you old timer, I really need your help. Please take a seat."

"I would, but you're sitting in my old chair." The two friends laughed and took a seat. Then Jeff's face grew serious, "This is about Mister Fear isn't it?"

"Look we both know it can't be Cranston, obviously a copycat."

"Did you run a background on all of Cranston's old flunkies?"

Quaid pulls a few files on his desk and explains, "Out of the five followers he had, three of them are dead and the other two are still in jail. That leaves a cold trail to follow."

"Not necessarily. If you recall, Cranston had a nephew he took in after his sister died tragically in a car accident."

"Oh yes, Alan Fagan. Guy was a kid when he interviewed him and most likely inherited all his uncle's belongings. You think Fagan is carrying on the family legacy, even after what we found out?"

"Anything is possible Frank; regardless we should speak with him."

"What do you mean by 'we'?"

"We interviewed him together last time, only fitting we're there now."

"It might be awkward considering you killed his uncle. Are you going there to interrogate him or seek forgiveness?"

Silence filled the room for a minute. "You know my thoughts on killing."

"It was part of the job Jeff; he didn't give you a choice."

"That's what I always hated, being thrust into a situation with no other option _but_ to take a life. In my career as a police officer I've only had to kill three people. I always look back and wish there was another way."

"But there wasn't; they were going to kill innocent people unless you acted."

"And because I acted, those three men never got to pay for their crimes or even reform. I didn't become a cop just to protect and serve innocent people, but to take down bad guys and make sure they pay for what they done. After all, they're people who either made a mistake or don't know any better depending on how they were brought up."

"Or in Cranston's condition, he was a certified nut job."

"Regardless, he still deserved a jail cell instead of a plot at Granite Hills."

Quaid exhaled, "No point in arguing is there? You'll go regardless so come on." Quaid gets up and puts on his jacket. He and his old mentor exit the office and head to the detective's car.

_Signal Academy, 10:00 am_

The senior class was gathered in the gymnasium for another one of Prof. Ambrose's classes. Alison came out of her office dragging a mannequin. She climbed the top of the bleachers and propped the dummy in a sitting position.

"Okay class," Alison started, "Today we will be playing a little game called King of the Hill."

"YES"! Yang yelled pumping her fist. Everyone looked at her and she smiled nervously. King of the Hill is her favorite training exercise and she's never lost.

"Yes well, the object of the exercise is for one of you to try and assassinate the king, this dummy here, while another protects him with your life. The assassin has five minutes to take out the big cheese. It's not a requirement to take down the guardian, but if the guardian keeps you at bay for the full five, then you lose. Any volun…" Yang instantly raises her hand, both of them. "…I figured as much Yang, you love being the guardian."

Yang struts in front of the bleachers and stood with her arms crossed. "Which one of you ladies feels up to the challenge?" she asked. "Oh, and I'd be willing to see what any of my fellow girls can do too." The female classmates snicker at the putdown towards the men.

Many of the guys looked nervous, but Travis Jackson stepped forward, feeling and looking confident. "Rematch time Rapunzel," he stated.

"Bring it on Hot Head."

_Oh God please don't burn the place down_ Alison thought, praying. Yang stood in a ready stance as Travis cracked his knuckles and neck. Alison took out her Scroll and activated the Stop Watch App. "BEGIN"!

Travis charged and Yang smirked. The Faunus attempted to jump over her, but Yang leapt up and socked him in the gut. Yang landed gracefully as Travis fell to the floor. "Really, you tried to jump it?" Yang mocked, "That might work in a triathlon, but not when you're trying to kill someone. Try being a little more…" Suddenly, Travis perked up and shot an uppercut at Yang's chin. The blond bombshell fell back into the bleacher seats and Travis leapt up with a fist raised.

The other students were shocked; no one has ever gotten past Yang and into the seats before. Even Alison was a little impressed.

Yang shook her head and recovered in time to see her opponent getting closer to the objective. "Not so fast"! Yang exclaimed and jumped up. She tackled Travis in midair and they both went tumbling into the stands below. Both students shoot up and resumed their fight. Yang throws a fist and Travis moves his head and grabs the arm. He flipped and threw her to the end of the bleachers. Yang lands with a loud bang and looks up in horror to see him deliver a spinning back kick to the mannequin's head. The head goes tumbling down and lands at Alison's feet.

"Winner, Travis," the Professor declared. The other students murmured and whispered at Yang's defeat. The girl herself rubs her head and slowly walks down the bleachers. Travis jumped off and landed with an _umpf_.

"Guess you've been working out huh?" Yang asked weakly.

"And what were you doing, brushing your beautiful locks?" Travis asked stoically.

Yang was about to retort when she realized what he said and blushed. The two students return to the group and Alison asked, "Who's next?"

_Vale City, 11:04 am_

In an apartment completely blacked out with curtains, Michael Morbius rushed frantically about the small room. "Oh God, oh God," he kept saying, "What have I become?"! He stopped and looked himself in the bathroom mirror. Enraged, he glided over and smashed the mirror to pieces. "MONSTER, HEATHEN, ABOMINATION"! Michael looked down at his hands, covered in glass and blood. Some of it wasn't even his. He then started licking the blood as the wounds healed. "But no matter how much I try, I can't stop. As God as my witness, Tiberius Stone will pay for this"!

_Vale City High School, 1:49 pm_

Arden was in the midst of gym class and got pelted by several dodgeballs. He fell back, feigning pain, as his opponents laughed.

"Better luck next time Ambrose," Denzel Kelly mocked as the bell rang. Kelly and his pals, Tyler and Phil, head over to locker room as Arden stood up and dusted off.

_I hate pretending to get my ass handed to me in sports_ Arden thought. _But I can't demonstrate my full power, lest someone deduces my identity._

Roxanne walked past him and said, "Don't take it too hard Arden, the Grifball players all work well with one another."

"Yeah well, doesn't seem fair when they _all_ gain up on the little guys. You'd think they'd spread out of their comfort zone sometime."

Tyler Stone walks out of the locker room and wraps his arm around his girlfriend's waist. They kissed and Arden looked away embarrassed. "What's the matter Ambrose, jealous?" Stone asked.

"Ty leave him alone," Roxy muttered.

"No," Arden replied, "In fact, got a hot date tomorrow night at McFarlane's."

"Holy shit," Denzel Kelly said as he and Phil came out the locker room, "Ardy Ambrose actually has a date?! Does she know you're a vampire?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well with all the people with holes in their neck heading to the emergency room, only figured you're the culprit with those choppers of yours."

"Zip it Denz," Tyler commanded and turned to Arden, "That's quite the coincidence considering Roxy and I have reservations their tomorrow too. Maybe we'll see you and this girl of yours there." Ty and his posse leave the gym and Arden heads in the locker room to change.

About a minute later, Arden was on his way out of the gym when his Scroll rang. He checked the caller ID and saw it was his mother. "Hey Mom, what's up?" Arden listens and the color from his face drains. "I'll be right there"! Arden hangs up and sprints outside. Seeing no one around, he climbed the wall and changed into his Spider outfit on the roof. He then started swinging to the hospital.

_Flashback: 1610 Sycamore Lane, 8:54 am_

Quaid pulls up to the curb outside the home of Alan Fagan. He and Jeffery Ambrose step out of the car and slowly walk up to the front door. They look up at the rundown one floor home with boarded up windows and exchanged glances.

"It appears Mr. Fagan does not live well," Jeff commented.

"File says he takes unemployment checks to survive," Quaid answers, "I guess he couldn't fit in with the rest of the world."

"Or perhaps his uncle made him afraid of the outside world, poor kid."

"We'll see about that." Quaid knocks on the door. "Alan Fagan, this is Franklin Quaid of the VCPD, are you in there?"! After the third knock, the door creeps open and stays ajar. Jeff looks at Quaid and uses his cane to push the door all the way open. Seeing it dark inside, Quaid grabs his flashlight and shines it about. Seeing it clear for now, Quaid pulls out his gun and holds the flashlight underneath. "Stay here, I'll sweep the house."

He takes a few steps and sees a beam of light shine behind him. Jeff was there with the top of the cane screwed off, revealing it to be a flashlight. "A good detective comes prepared."

"First of all, you're a _former_ detective. Second, I got to know where people in this town get trick canes. And third, what part of 'stay here' don't you get?"!

"It'll be a lot faster if we sweep together."

"Uh, fine, but holler if you find _anything_."

Jeffery nods and the two split up to look for Fagan or anything that can tell them where he is. Quaid steps into the bathroom and shines his light in the sink and tub. He sees a book on the back of the toilet seat and shines it. The title was "Humanity's Fear & How to Combat It" and it was written by none other than Lawrence Cranston. "Hey Jeff"!

Mr. Ambrose shined his light into an open doorway when Quaid yelled. "Yeah?" he replied. He peers inside and sees it's a bedroom.

"I just found a copy of Cranston's manifesto. Looks like Fagan enjoyed a little reading while on the shitter"!

Jeffery heads inside the bedroom to look around. "Wait, we found the rough draft of Cranston's book years ago. It's in Evidence Lockup, how did it get published?"

_"He made more than one draft."_ Jeff turns his head to the sound of the voice and the door closes automatically, locking him in. The old man hobbled to the door and started knocking.

"Quaid, Quaid I'm locked in here"!

The other detective rushes out of the bathroom and arrives at the closed door. He tried banging and kicking it in, but it wouldn't budge. "Son of a bitch this thing won't open"!

Jeff looked up and saw a camera pointed down looking at him. "Fagan, is that you?"

_"Yes Detective Ambrose, it's been quite a long time. How's retirement life treating you?"_

"It sucks; I'd rather be doing what I do best."

_"Isn't that how you ended up in this predicament?_

"I came here to talk, but it looks like I have my answers."

_"Not all of them I imagine. I assume you came here to ask if I would know anyone who could get their hands on my uncle's Fear Drug."_

"Yes, especially since we thought we confiscated and disposed of it all. We figured some of it may have been stashed inside his belongings, which you inherited."

_"Funny, I thought the same thing a few years ago. Alas, he didn't even leave behind a milliliter."_

"Then how did you reproduce the formula?" Quaid was still banging on the door as the conversation went on.

_"Let's just say it was closer to my heart than my uncle ever was. Would you like a sample?"_ Jeffery heard a beep on the bed and then some ticking noises. He lifted the mattress up to reveal a canister with the word FEAR spray painted on it. There was a digital clock counting down from 00:30 seconds.

"Quaid, we got a dispersal unit filled with the Fear Drug! Call it in now"!

Quaid stopped what he was doing and plucked his radio from his belt. "Dispatch, I need back-up at 1610 Sycamore Lane right the hell now! Requesting a bomb squad, chemical disposal team, and an ambulance"!

_"When I'm through with this town, it will be crazier than a Carnival, HAHAHAHA"!_ The radio went dead and Jeff stood backed up against the door.

"Jeff hang on, be right back"! The younger detective sprints out of the house and popped his trunk. He shifts around until he found two gas masks. "Good detective is always prepared," he muttered under his breath and ran back to the house. He put on one of the masks and was about to ram the door when he heard coughing and gas seeping through the crack.

"SHIT"! Quaid yelled and aimed his gun at the door knob. He fired once, obliterating the knob and wood around it, and then aimed and fired at each of the hinges. Quaid tackles the now weakened door and scrambles Jeffery Ambrose off his feet and puts the mask over his face. He leads his mentor outside and Jeff collapses to the ground. Quaid saw him coughing and clutching his chest.

Franklin Quaid picked up his radio and shouted, "WHERE THE HELL IS THAT GODDAMN BACK-UP?"!

Authors Note: For the record, I chose Mister Fear and Morbius because of Halloween this month. See you next time Boils and Ghouls HEHEHEHEHEHE!


	8. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

_Vale General Hospital, 2:17 pm_

Arden landed on the roof of the building next to the hospital and changed out of his Spider outfit. He stuffed the costume in his backpack and snuck down the fire escape. Arden ran around the corner and barreled straight into the hospital. He ran up to the front desk, Phyllis was on duty, and stopped himself at the edge.

"Phyllis, what room is my grandpa in?" Arden asked abruptly.

"Oh Arden I'm so sorry," the secretary said sympathetically, "He's up in room 308. Your parents are already there."

Arden thanks her and rushes to the elevator, smashing the button to the third floor. One minute later, he rushed out and saw his mom pacing back and forth in front of the room. "MOM"! Arden shouted and sprinted up to her. Mother and son embraced and pulled away. "What happened?"!

"Your grandpa had a little accident when he went with Detective Quaid to an interview," Alison responded. "He was a little panicked, but your dad and the other doctors stabilized him. He should be resting comfortably."

"Is dad with him?"

"WHAT IN GODS NAME WERE YOU THINKING?"! Alison and Arden turn at the sound of Leonard's shouting.

Alison inhaled through her teeth and answered, "That would be a yes." Mother and son run into the room to see Leonard yelling at his bed ridden father.

"I was helping an old friend and colleague with a case," Jeff answered calmly. "I'll admit my reaction time has slowed over the years but…"

"…But you are _not_ a cop anymore"! Leonard interrupted. "Did you stop to think for _one_ second that something bad was going to happen?"!

"Leonard please stop shouting," Alison pleaded, "Arden is here."

Arden walked up Jeff and put a hand on his shoulder. "How are you feeling grandpa?" Arden asked.

Jeff grinned, "A little panic attack isn't going to kill me."

"A little panic attack," Leonard muttered under his breath, "You inhaled a lethal drug that could have killed you! Why did you go down there in the first place?"!

The old man put on his stone face, "That's enough Leonard! God forbid I need to explain myself, let alone be yelled at by my own son. I was hoping to speak with an old victim, but what Quaid and I found was something far worse."

"What is it grandpa?" Arden asked, eagerly waiting for the answer. He wanted to know the animal that did this and stop him before he hurt anyone else.

"Maybe this is something you shouldn't hear sweetheart," Alison suggested.

"No Alison, he's a man," Jeff countered, "He's old enough to hear this. We learned that the victim in question has inherited the legacy of his uncle, Mister Fear."

"Yeah, I heard about his return on the news," Arden said, "So it's not the same guy after all huh?"

"No, I killed the original Mister Fear." Arden was shocked at his grandfather's statement. Arden heard the stories of his grandpa _stopping_ Mister Fear, but he never said he _killed_ him. Jeff looked into his grandson's eyes and said, "But listen to me son, I tried my best to find another way. I would never kill anyone, but on that day, he didn't give me a choice. And for the longest time, the city was at peace."

"And now," Leonard interjected, "There's a new Mister Fear, one that put you here and in _my_ care! I didn't spend the majority of my young life worried you'll never come back home just to lose you now"!

Jeff was about to respond when he gripped his chest and fell back on the bed. He was breathing fast and sweating from his forehead.

"Son of a bitch I need help in here"! Leonard called and some nurses ran in.

Alison turned to her son and shouted, "Arden, leave now"!

The teen nodded and backed out of the room. He pressed his back against the wall and stared at the floor. Arden was holding back tears as his grandpa started shouting almost incoherently.

"THE CARNIVAL, GO TO THE CARNIVAL"! He shouted.

Arden tried blocking his ears so he wouldn't have to listen. Then he felt someone tugging on his arm and turned to see a surprising sight. Isis Hardy stood next to him with a worried look.

"Isis? What are you doing here?" Arden asked, wiping away a tear.

"I heard on the news someone with the name Ambrose was rushed to the hospital," she answered. "I wanted to make sure my would-be-boyfriend didn't end up here before our first date."

Arden grinned and gave the Faunus girl a hug. "Thank you," he said squeezing her a little tighter, "You didn't have to do that, considering we've only known each other for a little."

Isis blushed at the intimate interaction and pulled away to hide it. "Sorry, no one outside my family has ever hugged me like that."

"Well, maybe once we get to know each other a little better, we could do more than hug."

Isis's blush grew redder. "Whoa hey mister, wait till the third date before making a move."

"He better, I raised him to be a gentleman," Arden and Isis turned to see Alison leaning against the door frame. _Both_ teens were now blushing madly.

"Oh mom," Arden said nervously while rubbing his head, "This is Isis, the girl I was going to take out tomorrow."

Alison and Isis shake hands and the Faunus girl says, "It's really nice to meet you ma'am."

Alison grinned, "You too sweetheart."

"I'm so sorry for your recent woes; maybe Arden and I should call of our date so he can be here with his family."

"You will do no such thing"! The kids were startled and jumped back. "Just because we had a little family emergency doesn't mean my son has to put his life on hold. If anything, this little episode should teach us how precious life is and that we should enjoy every little moment. So go on your date tomorrow and have a great time."

Arden and Isis smiled and Arden added, "Thanks mom." He remembered Jeff's little attack and asked, "Is grandpa okay now?"

Alison sighed, "Yes, he's asleep now thanks to your dad."

"I heard him screaming something as I got out of the elevator," Isis said, "Something about a carnival?"

"Well there are no carnivals in Vale now, but there is an old fairground just outside the entrance to the Kennel. I remember when we used to take Arden there when he was a kid."

Arden felt embarrassed but then realized something. _Yeah, now the fairground is completely abandoned_ Arden thought, _was grandpa trying to tell us where Mister Fear was?_ "Uh, sorry, I just realized that there was some homework I really needed to get done," Arden blurted out and put a hand on Isis's shoulder, "I'll see you tomorrow night and I'll see you at home mom"! Arden ran to the elevator and got in.

The women look at each other confused. Alison finally said, "That's odd, that boy _rarely_ does his homework"!

_The Home of Travis Jackson, 2:45 pm_

Travis pulled up to his driveway and took off his helmet. He walked up to his door and stopped when heard footsteps behind him. "Come all this way for another round?" he asked, knowing full well who is behind him. He could smell the polarized energy around her.

"No, just came to say hi and ask how things have been." Travis turned to acknowledge Pyrrha Nikos. She stood before him with beauty, grace, and the confidence to kick ass.

"Oh you know, training at a mediocre school and beating down everyone who is beneath me." He strutted up to the armored girl and got in her face. "You were the only worthy opponent I had at Sanctum."

"Because I always beat you," Pyrrha said with a smile.

"And I was _this_ close to finally beating you when…"

Pyrrha interrupted him, "…When you had a hissy fit and nearly killed Weiss Schnee."

"THAT BITCH DESERVED IT AFTER WHAT SHE SAID"! Travis panted after screaming in the red head's face. "Sorry."

"It's okay, it's just it only solidifies her hatred for your people."

Travis scoffs, "She should fear me instead of hating me. I'm something _far_ worse than an ordinary Faunus. I will be the best warrior in the history of Remnant, but before I can claim that title, I must prevail against certain personal obstacles. Beating you is one of them." He turns to enter his house and looks over his shoulder, "See you at Beacon."

"What makes you so sure either of us will be accepted into Beacon?"

He does an about face and looks at her like she was stupid. Travis was about to walk away when he asked, "Has Sarah talked about me?"

"Every day since you left, she misses you."

Travis grunts in acknowledgement and walks into his house. He slams the door and Pyrrha leaves.

_Bongo's Fairground, 2:51 pm_

Arden Ambrose, now in his Spider outfit, swung to the edge of the once lively fairground. It was completely abandoned with rides in disrepair and the only patrons being criminals and drug dealers. Arden lands on top of the Ferris wheel and looks down to see two thugs armed with assault rifles walking shoulder to shoulder. He focused his hearing in order to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"So where the hell is the boss?" one of them asked.

"Laying low for a little bit," the other answers, "He just put some old cop in the hospital. Boss's waiting for the heat to go down."

"Heat never goes down when you put a cop in the hospital. Pigs will tear up heaven and earth to find him. Besides, we're putting the finishing touches on the final batch. Doesn't he normally inspect it?"

"Yeah, I actually just heard from him. Boss will be here later tonight to check it out and see if its quality is good enough."

"Ugh, why can't he just come now when there's still daylight?"

"What's the matter afraid of the dark?"

"You heard those stories about people ending up in the emergency room with their blood drained. There's a monster on the loose."

"What like a Grimm?"

"If it were a Grimm, people would have spotted it by now. And besides, the Hunters would have been called in and killed it already. Nah it's something else."

"Whatever you say, but seeing is believing. If you ask me, I'm more afraid of that Spider-guy."

"You mean the freak in the hood that can shoot that crap from his hands? Thought he was an urban myth?"

"How can someone who hasn't even been around a week already an urban myth?" the second thug asked as they entered the nearby tent.

Arden cursed under his breath because there was too much ambient noise to properly hear them. _So he's not even here _Arden thought, _I'll come back later and stop him from doing whatever he's planning._ Arden jumps off the Ferris wheel and swings away. _Why am I suddenly talking to myself?_

_The Home of Roxanne Vulpes, 3:04 pm_

Somewhere in the Kennel, in a quaint two floor home, Roxanne Vulpes lay on her bed with her boyfriend on top of her. The young couple were passionately making out, Tyler's tongue dancing around in Roxy's mouth.

"Did I forget to tell you I love you?" Tyler asked.

"Every day whenever we see each other," Roxy answered, moaning as Tyler started kissing her neck. Suddenly Roxy's ears pricked up as she heard the door downstairs open and slam shut. "Shit"! She squeaked as the pair jumped up and started straightening themselves out.

"I thought you said your parents don't come home till five?" Tyler asked grooming his hair and brushing his shirt.

"They don't," Roxy answers brushing her hair and tail, "Either one of them got out early or something happened." Before she walked up to the door, Roxy heard someone climb the stairs and started turning the knob on her door. She locked it so no one would interrupt her and Tyler's personal business.

"Why the hell is this door locked? Roxy open up"! Barked a young, male voice Roxanne recognized.

"Shit," Roxy muttered under her breath, "Eli is that you? Where have you been?"

Elliot Vulpes is Roxy's older brother and current member of the White Fang. As a member of the once peaceful turned terrorist organization, Elliot is known to the authorities and needs to lay low. Roxy has no idea why her brother is here now after being gone five months, but she knows it can't be good.

Roxanne unlocks her door, opens it slightly, and pops her head out. "What do you want Eli?" Roxy gets a good look at her older brother. His reddish-orange hair was cut short with a pair of fox ears on top of his head. He wore a simple black shirt and jeans, the insignia of the White Fang on his chest.

Eli was about to respond when he sniffs the air. "Who the hell is with you?" he asked, "And why do you smell sweaty?" He barges in and sees Tyler Stone standing beside the bed. Eli looked at the bed and saw it was a mess. He growls and yells, "What the hell is going on here?"! Eli charges and grabs Tyler by the throat.

"Eli stop let him go"! Roxanne runs over and wrestles Eli's hands off Tyler.

Elliot steps back and yells, "What the hell are you still doing with this bastard?"!

Roxy stood over her boyfriend as he inhaled gulps of air. "Because I love him and he loves me! Why the hell should you care?! You're never home anymore, so you have no right to tell me who I can and can't date! You're not dad"!

"Do you even know who is father is?"

"Oh is that what this is about?" Tyler interjected as he stood up, "I'm nothing like my father! The fact that I'm here right now would infuriate him to no end. But I don't care because I love your sister."

Stone and Elliot stare each other down for what feels like forever before Roxy got between them.

"Why did you come here Eli?" Roxanne asked, defusing the tension.

Eli looks at her sister and responds, "I came here to say hi to mom and dad when they got home. But you know what, you can tell them for me. I'm going to leave before I do something I might _enjoy_." Elliot stomps out of the room and leaves the young love birds confused and a little scared.

Elliot walks outside and gets in the passenger door of the car parked on the curb. A woman with strawberry blond hair and white rabbit ears was patiently waiting in the driver's seat.

"Whoa that was fast"! The Faunus woman said, "Whatcha do leave a note?"

"Just drive Lorina"! Elliot barked. The driver, Lorina, shrugs her shoulders and pulls away from the house.

_The Home of Arden Ambrose, 3:19 pm_

Arden Ambrose lay back in his chair, Ebony on his lap as he petted her. He had his laptop turned on and sitting on the desk in front of him. Arden was thinking of the different scenarios he could use to take down Mister Fear and his men, as well as some other stuff.

_Once the sun goes down, I'll head back to the fairgrounds and wait until Mister Fear returns_ Arden thought._ When he's behind bars, all I'll have to focus on is simple patrols, visiting grandpa, and my date with Isis tomorrow. Oh, which reminds me, got to swing by the bank and get some more cash. I really need to get a job if I want to keep taking Isis out. I know we don't have to go to fancy places all the time, but nothing in life is free. But what am I good at? _Besides_ swinging on a string and beating up bad guys?_

Arden looks at the home screen of ViewTube and sees the "Popular Right Now" channel. He sees a thumbnail with a familiar image and clicks on it. A second later, Arden was watching security footage of him fighting Torchwick and his crew.

"Huh, check it out Ebony," Arden says to his cat and points to the screen, "That's me fighting the other day. Based on the footage it must have come from multiple security cameras and pasted together to make one, smooth video. Who uploaded this?" Arden looks at the name and it says "Anonymous Joe". "Probably an employee who wants to stay hidden, wait," Arden looks at the number of Subscribers and sees it's in the tens of thousands and rising. "Whoa over 20,000 subscribers, whoever this guy is he's making serious bank of off my…" and then Arden had an epiphany. "Ebony, I think I found a solution to my money problems."

_"Meow,"_ Ebony responded rolling her eyes.

"Oh it is _so_ a good idea"!

_Bongo's Fairground, 8:23 pm_

A black car with no license plates drives into the dilapidated fairground and pulls up to the large tent. Alan Fagan dressed in black with a cape and skull mask, steps out of the car and walks inside his makeshift lab, which was guarded by two men with guns. Inside the tent in the center was a table filled with measuring equipment, a centrifuge, and several empty gas pellets to be filled with the Fear Drug. He pulls out his gas gun and puts it on the table.

"Are you certain the drug is potent enough Beck?" Fagan asked a bald headed man in a lab coat.

"Most assuredly Mister Fear," the man known as Beck said, "But if my word is not enough, you could always test it on one of the rats or one of the vermin right here." Beck pointed to the hired guns behind him. The goons sneered at the bald headed man and one muttered "chrome dome dumbass".

"That won't be necessary Beck; I have faith in your skills. You even restored my uncle's old costume." Fagan pulled the cape back and let it dance in the air. "You are a man of many talents."

Beck shrugs his shoulders and replied, "I try."

"Since we are ahead of schedule, let's keep it that way." Fagan picks up a syringe, rolls up his sleeve, and stabs himself in the arm. His men noticed that his entire arm was covered in stab marks. Mister Fear extracts a sample of his blood and pours it into a beaker.

"Sir I must recommend an alternate substance for your work," Beck altered. "Your health must be deteriorating after all these constant extractions."

"Without my uncle's notes, my blood is the last remaining source of the Fear Drug. I must use it to complete his work."

"And what work is that if I may ask?"

Fagan inhaled and began his spiel, "My uncle Cranston, as you all know, was once a prosecutor. But even though he put away criminals legally, he saw this city destroying itself out of sheer terror amongst the racial tensions. I don't know the exact circumstances, but my uncle stumbled upon a chemical that induced fear and made his victims susceptible to his will. But Uncle Larry wanted to use this 'gift' to wake up the people, to help them _overcome_ fear and become stronger. If you can master fear, you are invincible! But the people could not appreciate my uncle's crusade and hunted him. I myself took years to understand his methods, but I became enlightened the day I mastered my own fear. Now I will continue his work, bringing fear to this city and only the strongest of will and mind will survive. The weak will perish."

"That's all I needed to hear," Mister Fear and his crew look up at an ambient voice coming from above them. They hear a thud on the lab table and the Spider materializes before them. "You are a certified lunatic"! Arden kicks the beaker filled with the freshly drawn blood and it breaks open on the ground.

Enraged, Mister Fear points to the vigilante and shouts, "Kill this infidel"!

Arden's Spider Sense goes off and he is aware of everything happening at once. The lab assistant Beck ran out of the tent as the two guards outside came running in. Adding them, the five other goons inside point their guns up and take aim at Arden. Arden jumps up, avoiding the rapid bullets flying, and aims his wrists at the guns. He fires several globs of webbing and gums up the barrels of all seven assault rifles. He jumps down and grabs the first guy by his shirt and tosses him into a second. His sixth sense blares again and he leans back to avoid a blow from a third henchman. Arden grabs his arm, shoots webbing in his eye, and flips him on his back. The remaining four goons charge Arden at once and the young vigilante jumps over their heads. They turn to address the threat but he disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" a henchman asks scratching his head. The others and their boss looked everywhere, even above them. Suddenly, the crook lurched forward from a punch to the gut. Before the others could react, each one was taken down in a different way. One was swept off his feet, another was kneed in the stomach, and the last one had his bandana pulled over his eyes and given an uppercut to the jaw.

Arden materializes in the middle of the downed goons and says, "Made you look." Then his Spider Sense went off and he spun towards the table to see Mister Fear pointing his gas gun at him. During the fight, Mister Fear rushed to the table and loaded a pellet into his empty gun. The villain fired and Arden leaned back Matrix style and watched the pellet pass over his face. He lifted himself back up and fired a web line at the gun, pulling it back and disarming the head honcho.

"Stay back you freak"! Mister Fear shouted.

Arden walked forward, saying, "What's the matter, is Mister Fear afraid of little ol me? What happened to all that tough talk of 'mastering fear'? Was that a bunch of bullshit like your crusade?" Alan Fagan was shaking as Arden was just inches from him. "That's what I thought." Arden cocks back a fist and lets the crazy bastard have it.

_The Home of Arden Ambrose, 9:01 pm_

Arden was typing away on his laptop, editing the video from the fight. Before Arden fought Mister Fear and his crew, he placed his Scroll at an angle above the makeshift lab in a shot that got everything. After taking out Mister Fear, he webbed up the boss and his men and recovered his Scroll. He waited for the police until he heard the sirens and swung off home. Arden snuck into his own room, Ebony pricking her head to see her owner enter through the window, and sat down at his desk.

"Well, that about covers it." Arden said as he downloaded the video under a new channel he created, using the username SPIDEYFAN616. Arden stretches his arms and yawns loudly. He gets up, walks over to his bed, and jumps in. Ebony jumps up and lies next to him. "Hopefully making videos of me will only be temporary until I find a _real_ job," Arden said to Ebony as he scratched her ears. The cat purred and the two of them lied down, hitting the hay.

_The Home of Tiberius Stone, 10:12 pm_

In the ritzy upscale neighborhood of Golden Meadows, Tyler Stone walks through the door of the Stone family manor. He was about to head upstairs when his Scroll rang.

Outside at the top of the tree in the yard, Michael Morbius watched as Tyler stopped and answered his Scroll. He focused his hearing to listen.

_"Hey babe, yeah I made it back home safe and sound,"_ Tyler answered, comforting his girlfriend. He listens and replies, _"No, don't be upset about tonight, I told you I'm fine. How did your parents react?"_ Another pause, and a reply, _"I'm so sorry, your dad must be taking it pretty hard."_ Tyler's face changed from concern to a little assertive after Roxy's next question. _"No we're still on for tomorrow night. Seven o'clock at Macfarlane's right? Good, see you then, love you."_ Tyler heads upstairs to get ready for bed.

Morbius grinned. _I came here for you Tiberius, but now I have a new plan_ he thought. _Because of him, I can never see my beloved Martine, at least not like this. For that, I shall take away the only person _you_ have left to love. And all will watch as your spawn is drained of his blood by Morbius, the Living Vampire!_ Morbius leapt off the tree and glided off into the night.


	9. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

_The Market, Friday March 23__rd__, 1:10 pm_

At one of the many superstores, a man in a black robe with a white collar pushed a cart filled with food and medical supplies to the registers. He had grey stubble for a goatee, recently shaved, matching his recently buzzed hairdo. A silver cross hung from his neck and glinted in the light. Father Lucas stopped as he got in line 9.

Father Lucas is a priest in one of the most talked about churches in the city. Located in the heart of the Kennel, the Holy Ghost Church is a place where many Faunus and even the few humans who live there travel to hear the Father's sermons. This priest preaches of tolerance and equality, for all of God's children to seek a path of peace. However, because of the tensions between the races with the White Fang's activities, Father Lucas receives a lot of criticism from members of both races for his controversial sermons. But not all feel this way and welcome the holy man's words.

"Excuse me Father?" Lucas turns and sees a familiar parishioner standing before him. She was an Ape Faunus with large forearms, maroon hair, and pink eyes wearing a light pink shirt and pants. "That was a great service this morning. Bless you and your work."

"I can help whose next please," the cashier said, indicating the priest.

"Thank you Kala, I will say a prayer for you and your husband," Father Lucas said, pushing the cart and started loading the items on the table.

A few minutes later, Father Lucas pushed the cart to his car, loaded the bags into his trunk, and drove off to the church.

_The Home of Arden Ambrose, 5:39 pm_

Arden was standing before the mirror in his closet, looking at himself in a nice red jacket with a black shirt and black dress pants. Much like his favorite shirt, the red jacket had a white shield on the back, the insignia of the Ambrose family. It meant that an Ambrose is willing to defend a person in need at any given moment.

"What do you think Ebony, too much?" Arden asked his cat lazily lounging on his bed.

Ebony licked the back of her paw and simply replied, _"Meow."_

"I'm going to take that as a yes." Arden stops looking at himself and heads to his desk. He logs onto his ViewTube channel to see how many subscribers he has now. "Awesome! Already over 10,000 subscribers after just one video! If I keep this up I'll be rolling in dough"! Arden skims through the comments, some positive and others negative, when he heard a knock at his door. "One second"! He called out as he logged out and shut off his computer. Arden opens his door to see his mother standing there.

"Looking nice and sharp their son," Alison commented. "You better head out now and pick up Isis."

"Don't worry mom I still got time."

"Now Arden, a woman likes a man who is fashionably early for a date. It gives them more time to talk and get to know each other."

Arden picks up his keys and wallet, pecks his mom on the cheek, and heads downstairs yelling, "Be back later"!

"Not too late"! Alison called out as the door slams.

_Hardy Manor, 5:55 pm_

Cleopatra, in her full black attire and her mask in hand, walked past the door to Isis's room. She stops, peers in, and smiles. Isis was looking at herself in the mirror, wearing a beautiful blue dress that belonged to their mother. Isis's ears pricked up and she saw Cleo spying on her.

"Uh, privacy much," Isis said to her eldest sibling.

Cleo opens the door and comes in. "Sorry, I was going to knock, but I got distracted," Cleo responds. "You look just like her."

Isis lowers her head and says, "I wish she was here. I wish they were _both_ here."

Cleo runs over to her little sister and hugged her. "Hey, hey, we all miss them. But you know mom, she would be so happing that you met someone."

Isis looks up and smiles. "Yeah, and dad would have probably said 'Over my nine lives will my little girl date boys'"! Cleo and Isis share a laugh and Isis sees her older sister is dressed in her "work" clothes. "I see you are dressed for a night on the town too huh?"

"Yeah, Felicia and I are going to be investigating a lead from dad's will. Felicia is getting ready now."

"You sure you don't need my help?"

"Nah, it should be a piece of cake."

Isis's Scroll buzzed and she reads the text. "Arden's here, better get going."

"Don't stay out too late."

"Now _that's_ something mom would say"! Isis ran out of her room and down the stairs. Cleo moved to the second floor window and watched Isis get into Arden's car.

"Aw man I can't get a good look from here," Cleo turned to see Felicia standing behind her. She was also dressed in black with her cat mask on.

"What the hell are you doing?" Cleo asked.

"I was trying to catch a sight of this Arden guy, see if he was cute."

"Why does that matter?"

"A man has to look pretty hot to get his hands on a Hardy woman."

Cleo deadpans, "Do you hear how vain you sound?"

"Oh whatever, are you ready or not?"

"I've been waiting for _you_"!

"Tomato, tamato, let's get this show on the road"! Felicia pulls back the window and jumps out. Sighing in defeat, Cleo follows after her.

Meanwhile in Arden's car, the two teens were quite for a few as they drove through the city. Finally, Arden decided to break the silence.

"So…," he paused awkwardly, feeling a bit embarrassed, "You look beautiful."

Isis blushes a deep red and squeaks out, "Thanks." Completely embarrassed, both Arden and Isis remained quiet for the duration of the car ride.

_Vale City, 6:25 pm_

In a dive bar somewhere in the city, a bartender watched in horror as a pale skinned monster was sucking the blood from his fifth victim. He drops the poor man and licks the blood from his hands.

_That was quite the appetizer_ Morbius thought. _This should hold me over long enough to enjoy the main course_. Morbius sprints out of the bar and the bartender collapses.

_MacFarlane's, 6:31 pm_

Arden and Isis were led to their table by the maître de. Arden immediately noticed that they were sitting at the back of the restaurant, with slightly dim lighting, and with other Faunus patrons. Arden was going to say something, but the other tables were full (nearly all with humans), and he didn't want to start something. He also saw that the maître de looked a little uncomfortable.

"Your waiter will be with you shortly," he said and walked back to the front. Arden and Isis took their seats and skimmed through the menu.

"So, not the best place to start off a riveting date," Arden said, indicating their seating arrangement.

Isis just shrugged her shoulders, "Not much of an inconvenience considering Faunus can see in the dark. Did you _really_ forget that?"

"No, it's just; I thought you would see it as, you know…"

"…An insult? Look, for all we know, this was the last available table for the moment, and the fact that the other patrons around us are Faunus could be a coincidence. But if this place does treat Faunus unfairly, then why let us in here in the first place? I think the owner is just trying to make sure there are no fights between his customers. So why start a fight that needs not to be fought?"

Arden was surprised by her reservation, "Wow, you aren't taking this hard. I thought you would hate being separate but equal?"

"While I do want humans and Faunus to get along, there's still a lot of bad blood between our kinds. There are bad apples on both sides that prevent the good ones from finding common ground. I believe it's just going to take some time before we can all get along and let the past stay in the past."

A waitress with long brunette hair wearing a dark red shirt and black apron walked up to their table with her notepad out. "Hi I'm Rachel and I'll be your server this evening. Can I start you off with a drink?"

"Yeah, I'll have a diet root beer," Arden ordered.

"Just a water for me thanks," Isis said.

"Okay," the waitress writes down the drink order, "I'll be back to take your order in a sec." She walks away to get the drinks and the couple resume their conversation.

"So enough about politics, let's talk about you," Isis said changing the topic, leaning in.

Arden takes a breath and says, "Well, other than what we discussed at the museum, I'm just your everyday guy," _with spider powers, _"I don't have many hobbies unfortunately," _other than kicking bad guy ass as a vigilante, _"My mom is a teacher at Signal Academy," _she taught me the basics of kicking ass when I was younger, _"And my dad is a doctor," _who treats the bad guys I beat up. Oh, let's not forget that I can't tell you about my other life because it's a secret._

"Oh wow, your parents must lead exciting lives. Your dad cares for the sick and needy, that's nice. And what does your mother teach?"

"She's a sparring instructor. My mom teaches young Huntsmen and Huntresses how to defend themselves in physical confrontations without their weapons."

"It must be an honor to have a Huntress as a mother."

"Actually, mom _isn't_ a Huntress."

"Really, I thought you had to be a Hunter to teach in a school like that?"

"I thought so too, but somehow my mom still got the job. I never really questioned it when I was younger, but I have seen her in action and she's unbelievably good. Maybe she's one of the few exceptions to the rule?"

The waitress Rachel returns with their drinks and places them down. "Okay here you are. You ready to order?"

Arden raises his hand and starts, "Yes, I will have the 18 oz. prime rib, cooked medium rare."

Rachel begins jotting down the order, "And your choice of sides?"

"I'll have some broccoli and a baked potato, oh, and a side of rolls and butter when you have the chance."

"Very good," she finishes and turns to Isis, "And you miss?"

Isis takes a second look at the menu and says, "I will have the fresh glazed salmon."

"An excellent choice, and that comes with broccoli and grilled tomato and asparagus, is that fine?"

"That's perfect," Isis responds, _purring_ the prefix of the word "perfect". That gained a chuckle from Arden and the waitress.

"Alright, your order will be out as soon as possible. I'll be right back with your bread and butter." Rachel leaves once again and the couple continues their conversation.

"Your turn," Arden says, "You said you were living with your sisters. If you don't mind me asking, where are your parents?"

Isis looked down at the table, she was sad as painful memories resurfaced. "My parents were murdered ten years ago."

Arden was shocked and took her hands into his, "I'm so sorry, we don't…"

Isis pulls back her hands and responds, "No, it's okay, I'm fine to talk about it. I was six at the time and I actually didn't see them die. My older sister Felicia witnessed dad's murder."

_Jesus_ Arden thought.

"Cleopatra, my oldest sister, and the rest of us were sent away to Mistral for a little while to live with an old friend of mom's. We inherited all of our parent's money."

"Based on your house, I bet your parents were pretty important people."

Isis gave a weak smile, "Nah, our family just made a lot of smart 'investments'. Plus dad was a big philanthropist for the Faunus community."

Arden felt bad for Isis, and angry at the son of a bitch who caused her to feel this pain. "What kind of monster would deprive children of their parents?"! Rachel came back and placed the bread and butter on their table. She immediately left after Arden's outburst.

Isis shrunk back, and rubbed her arms, whispering, "The Goblin."

_The Goblin_ Arden thought to himself. Arden remembered overhearing his grandfather's old cases and the set-up of the crime hierarchy. According to the VCPD, there is a crime boss known as "The Big Man" who controls all criminal activity in Vale City. But he also has a lieutenant, someone with access to illegal and experimental weapons tech. He didn't have a name, but based on all the chaos and mischief he caused, the news started calling him the Goblin. Coincidently, he disappeared around ten years ago. Was this right after the murder of the Hardy's? Arden saw that Isis started to cry from all the remembering. He got up, walked right next to her, and leaned down to give her a comforting hug.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Arden didn't respond; he didn't want to say anything to ruin this moment. _I never want to see Isis like this ever again_ he thought, anger starting to surge. _As God as my witness, if I _ever_ meet this Goblin, I will do everything in my power to bring him to justice._ Arden's Spider Sense went off and he spun around slowly. It was subtle so he knew he wasn't in danger.

"Wow Ambrose, I've never seen this side of you," Tyler Stone said, looking well dressed in a suit and tie. Roxanne Vulpes stood next to him, looking stunning in a long, red dress with her purse in hand.

"I think it's noble, and caring," Roxy commented. She walks up to Isis and hold out her hand, "I'm Roxanne Vulpes."

Isis takes the hand and shakes it, "Isis Hardy, nice to meet you."

Tyler pricked his head up when Isis introduced herself. _Hardy, where have I heard that name?_ He thought.

"Do you mind if we join you?" Roxy asked, looking at Arden.

Arden shrugs his shoulders, "I don't see why not."

Roxy took a seat next to Isis and Tyler sat next to Arden. _Looks like this became a double date_ Arden thought. _How the hell did that happen?_

_The Crystal Condor, 6:55 pm_

The Crystal Condor was once a swinging gentlemen's club that served as a front for the old Maggia Crime Family. But once the Big Man took over and wiped them out, the Condor went out of business and sits in disrepair. However, because the club is a historical landmark, the city refuses to demolish it. This works in Cleo and Felicia's favor.

When their parents were murdered, the Hardy sister's inherited their parent's fortune, as well as the responsibility to carry on the family legacy. The Hardys are a family of thieves who enjoy the thrill and challenge of stealing from the rich, and sometimes other thieves. But after the night of the murders, the sisters also received a message from their father which came with the will. Their father left them a message that explains how he identified the Big Man and his overall plan. He didn't go into details, but it's bad. Jack hid the data disk inside the mouth of the statue of Freyja, a bust of a cat. And the cat's mouth can only be opened by inserting its diamond eyes back into its sockets. Both eyes and the statue were hidden across the city in different locations. According to Jack's message, one of the eyes was hidden in the Condor's nest. And since Cleo knew the Crystal Condor was one of their dad's favorite places, they knew it had to be here.

Cleo and Felicia snuck into the abandoned club via the roof and climbed down the rafters. They looked at the tables and stage below, covered in white sheets, and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Dad said that one of Freyja's eyes was in the Condor's nest," Felicia said, "Where could that be?"

"My guess," Cleo started and pointed in front of them. They saw a staircase that led to a sky box that overlooked the entire club, "The manager's office is a good place to start." The two sisters' jump down and land on their feet at the base of the stairs. They climb up and enter the office. It was plain inside, the desk and coffee table covered in white sheets and nothing much else. Felicia spied a filing cabinet with something sparkling on top of it.

"Hey check this out," she said reaching and picked something up. It was a bird standing on the rim of an egg nest made out of crystal.

Cleo looks at it and says, "Ugh, that crystal isn't real"!

Felicia plucks one of the eggs out and states, "Bet this one is." And sure enough, it was the diamond eye they were looking for. The pair smile and Cleo looks around at the office, then out the window. Curious, Felicia asked, "Whatcha lookin at?"

Cleo glances back and looks out the window again, "I was just thinking, maybe, when this is all over you, me, and Isis can…duck"! Cleo hits the ground as the glass shatters. Felicia drops as well as glass falls to the floor. She looks up to see several shuriken on the ceiling and walls.

"What the hell?" Felicia asked when as she and Cleo got up and looked out the shattered windows. They were dumbfounded to see several men in black ninja with swords and knives in hand. They surrounded a woman with emerald green highlights in her black hair and wore black and green armor. She held a kunai knife up to her mouth and licked it with her forked tongue.

"It would seem this city has quite the stray cat problem," the woman said, mocking the thieves. Felicia and Cleo gritted their teeth as they readied their weapons. "I say this only once, hand over the Diamond Eye of Freyja, and we will end you quickly."

"How about you go slither back where you came from freak"! Felicia yelled.

Enraged, the woman screamed, "Black Lotus, kill them"! The ninjas charge in a flash of black towards their enemies.

_MacFarlane's, 7:03 pm_

Arden, Isis, Tyler and Roxanne were laughing from one of Arden's stories, Arden himself nearly chocking on his steak. Arden and Isis's meals had arrived and Tyler and Roxy's were still being made.

"…And then I nearly peed myself when the principle came in"! Arden said, gaining another cackle of laughs.

"Oh Arden, you were quite the silly freshmen back then," Roxy commented.

As much as he enjoyed laughing at Arden's expense, Tyler doesn't like it when another guy makes his girlfriend laugh. He was always the jealous type when it came to Roxy. But in order to avoid an argument, Tyler decided to change the subject, by asking _Arden's_ girl a question.

"So Isis, I've never seen you at school, are you new in town?" Tyler asked.

Isis looks at Tyler and replies, "No, my sisters and I were born here, but we moved ten years ago when our parents passed." Isis looked down again and Arden reached out and grabbed her hand.

"If you don't mind me asking, what made you come back?" Tyler followed up.

Just before Isis could respond, Arden's Spider Sense went off, alerting him of danger at the entrance. Michael Morbius crashed through the entrance, roaring and walking slowly sniffing the air. Everyone was freaking out and got up to run to the nearest exit.

"What the hell is that?"! Roxy screamed.

"I don't know, but we need to get the hell out of here"! Arden responded and grabbed Isis by the hand. As much as he wants to fight this monster, Arden's first priority is to make sure Isis and everyone else is safe. Tyler was leading Roxy to the exit when Morbius rushed up and lifted him up by the throat.

"Tyler"! Roxy yelled and was knocked back by Morbius. She was thrown back and landed on a table, breaking it. Arden and Isis ran over and carried her outside.

"You son of a bitch that was my girlfriend"! Tyler screamed, kicking his feet.

Morbius looked up, straight into his eyes, and said slowly and sarcastically, "Be still my beating heart."

Tyler studied the face and realized who it was, "Dr. Morbius? You're alive?"!

"You call this living?"! Morbius roared and tightened his grip on Tyler's throat.

"Why are you doing this?" Tyler chocked out.

Morbius lowered his arm, bringing Tyler to his eye level and stated, "Revenge is a dish best served…_Stone_ cold."

Outside, Arden and Isis brought Roxy over to the sidewalk and laid her down, propping her up next to a light post.

"Isis listen to me," Arden started, "Stay here and look after Roxy, I'm going to find some help. When the paramedics get here you call them over. If they refuse because you're Faunus, tell them Dr. Leonard Ambrose will tear them a new one if they refuse to help a person in need. I will be right back."

Arden runs off, leaving a confused and scared Isis with an unconscious Fox Faunus.

Inside the restaurant, Morbius was moving Tyler closer toward him. "Because of your father's sins, I will never see my beloved again," Morbius said as he used his other hand to expose Tyler's neck. "And now, neither will you."

Before Morbius could sink his long canines into Tyler's neck, a web line hits his shoulder and another on his arm. The Living Vampire is pulled away and releases Tyler as he's thrown back into a booth. The Spider comes in and looks at the shocked teen.

"Get out of here"! Arden yelled. Tyler shook himself awake and bolted out the door. Morbius smashes the booth apart as he stood up, barring his teeth in a crouching position. "Yikes! Looks like someone is a die-hard supporter of Team Edward"!

"The only one who will die tonight is you"! Morbius roared and floated fast at Arden. Arden side stepped and fired two web lines at his chest. He pulled with all of his might and flung him out the door. Morbius went flying and hit the side of a parked car. Michael shook his head and heard a whistle. He looked up to see the Spider standing on the side of the building above him.

"If you want the main course Mr. Pasty, well come and get it"! Arden proceeded to run up the side of the building.

Enraged, Morbius jumps up and starts climbing the building with his claws.

Unknown to the quarreling mutates, several ninjas from the Black Lotus Clan observed the battle from across the streets, concealed in the shadows.

"What are our orders, sir?" one of the ninjas asked.

The ninja in charge, a man in black with a plain white porcelain mask tapping his baton on his shoulder, did not answer at first. Finally he said, "We do what Hana Kage has ordered, capture the Fang Freak."

"What about the Spider?" another ninja asks.

"I will take him, just to see how good he is. One way or another, justice _will_ be served." He points his baton forward and his subordinates move out.

Authors Note: One more chapter till this arc is over! Sorry for not getting this chapter out sooner, I was distracted by the AGE OF ULTRON TRAILER! It officially debuted online (after being leaked, thanks Deadpool) and it was badass! I hope nothing else distracts me from finishing this arc *cough* *cough* school *cough* *cough* RWBY Volume 2 Finale! Stay tuned!


	10. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

_Vale City, 7:10 pm_

Arden vaulted over the roof of the restaurant and zipped across to three buildings south. He landed on a roof with a water tower on it. He looks at one of the tower's legs and gets an idea. Acting fast, he pulls out his Scroll, sets it to record, and webbed it to the leg.

"RAAAAAAARGH"! Arden turns to see Morbius roaring at him on the roof of Macfarlane's. And in one, single bound, Morbius leaps from the restaurant to right in front of Arden.

"Damn," Arden commented, unsure what to quip about, "Just…damn."

"You have interfered with my business," Morbius stated, "And for that, I will suck your blood dry"! Morbius charged and Arden was able to dodge just in time. Arden noticed that this guy's movements were much faster than the typical street thugs he pounds on, but he can still pick up his movements.

"What do you have against Tyler Stone?"! Arden yelled as he tried to counter with a strike to the enemy's jaw. Morbius leaned back, grabbed Arden's arm, and flipped him on his back, slamming him down hard. The Living Vampire then kicked Arden in the gut, sending him skidding across the roof and hitting the edge. _This guy isn't just fast, he hits pretty hard too!_ Arden thought.

"It's not the boy I wish to hurt."

"I would be inclined to believe you if I didn't just see you about to sink your teeth in his neck."

Morbius started to walk up to the young vigilante, "I am the true victim here." He reaches down and picks Arden up by the throat, dangling him over the edge of the building.

"Oh so all those people you hospitalized were what exactly?" Arden said, straining his words.

"I didn't want to hurt _them_, but after I changed, I developed a craving for blood."

"Right, because you're a vampire."

"I AM NOT A VAMPIRE"! Morbius shouted to the heavens. "I am a human being! My name is Dr. Michael Morbius, and I have dedicated my life to curing the disease that nearly killed me. But now whatever was done to me, my disease was altered, forcing me to feed on blood to survive."

_What do you think the textbook definition of a vampire is?_ Arden asked in his head and then realized something. "Wait Morbius, the missing Alchemax scientist?"

"I was not missing, I was taken away somewhere in the Out…" Before Morbius could finish, a throwing star pierced his arm and he dropped Arden. The web slinging vigilante shot a line and zipped back up to see several ninjas surrounding the monstrous man.

"O-kay, suddenly it's Halloween and I don't see where the candy is. Can somebody tell me what the hell is going on?" His Spider Sense goes off and he back flips in time to dodge a kick from the guy in the white mask.

"I would be inclined to, only if you are worthy," he said half-cocked as he tossed his baton in the air a few times.

"And you are?"

"The Scourge of my clan's enemies"! The masked man, Scourge, tosses his baton in the air and it splits into a pair of tonfas. The second he grabs them, he charges the Spider and his men attack Morbius.

_The Crystal Condor, 7:13 pm_

Cleo stepped back and kicked a Lotus ninja in the jaw as he leapt for her. She snapped upon her whip and flicked it at another ninja. It wrapped around the enemy's arm and she pulled forward, sending him reeling into the wall. He rubbed his head in recovery and didn't see Cleo run up and slam his head into the wall. Before he slid down to the ground, Cleo snagged a few smoke pellets from his belt.

Felicia meanwhile was standing between two ninjas, slashing and clanging metal as her tri-clawed weapons deflected their katannas. She kicked one's knee in and sliced across his chest. As he dropped, she stabbed the other guy in the leg, grabbed his wrist, and twisted it until he let go of his sword. She then followed up with an upper cut and kick to the mid-section. "Jesus, where did you get these guys Discount Henchmen 4 You?" Felicia jested, regrouping with her sister.

The mysterious woman ignored the quip and responded, "Combat is a learning experience, especially for the young."

"Uh, cryptic much," Felicia said.

"I think she's saying the guys we just beat were beginners," Cleo answered.

"Bullshit we're just that good"! Felicia fired back.

"Care to try your luck against a chunin?" the woman asked, a sinister grin plastered on her face.

"Bring it on bitch"! Felicia yelled, ready to strike until her sister held her back. "What's your problem?"

"We won't stand a chance against her," Cleo stated.

"What the hell makes you so sure?"

"During our time abroad I heard a lot of stories, many rumors of a shadow organization made up of snake themed assassins. Seeing her tongue, I'm positive she's a member."

"_Former_ member," the woman corrected and bowed her head, "Viper at your service."

"_Shit_," Cleo muttered under her breath.

Viper tossed her kunai from one hand to the other, twirled it between her fingers, and asked, "Are we going to fight or are you going to run with your tails between your legs?"

Felicia was ready to scrap, but Cleopatra pushed her back and threw the smoke pellets at Viper's feet. Viper and her remaining subordinates coughed and fanned the air around them to clear the smoke. When the smoke dissipated, Viper looked up in time to see the Faunus exiting through the roof window. Two Lotus ninjas moved to follow them but Viper ordered them to stop.

"But Madame, the cowards are escaping with the objective"! One of them argued.

"They're not cowards, the older one was being sensible," Viper walked a few steps and looked up at the ceiling, staring at the window. "While they do have _some_ skills, they are nothing more than thieves, not warriors. The older one knew the odds were in our favor and chose life over certain death. And besides, the mission wasn't a complete failure. At least we now have a guarantee _where_ the objective is if and when we need to retrieve it. For now, let's report back."

The ninjas nod and start collecting their injured comrades. When they were ready, they disappeared into the night.

Outside, Felicia and Cleo were jumping roof to roof, making sure they weren't being followed. Once they thought they were clear, Felicia threw up her arms in anger.

"What the hell was that?"! She asked, pissed off, "We ran like scaredy cats"!

"We weren't going to win Felicia," Cleo responds sternly, "And besides we got what we came for, why push things?"

"To show we aren't a couple of push overs"!

"We're not a gang! We're just a couple of thieves trying to get answers for our parent's murder."

"Did you ever stop to ask why those guys wanted the eye? Maybe the Big Man sent them, or worse, the Goblin."

"If either of them sent Viper, then we really need to be careful. And as for Black Lotus, I have no idea what to make of them."

Felicia was confused, "I thought you said they were a snake themed group?"

"No not the Black Lotus, I don't know who _those_ guys are. I was referring to the Serpent…" Suddenly Cleo's Scroll rings and recognizes the ring tone. She goes into her pocket and answers it. "Isis, what's up?" Cleo's face changed and Felicia looked concerned. "Whoa slow down, what happened?"! Another pause and Felicia was getting anxious. "Stay put we'll be right there"! She hangs up and looks at Felicia.

"What's going on?" Felicia asked, on high alert.

"Our sister needs us."

_Vale City, 7:14 pm_

Scourge leapt up and kicked Arden off the roof. He fell, but flipped, recovered, and landed on the roof of a smaller building below. As Scourge jumped off after the vigilante, his subordinates engaged Morbius.

One Lotus ninja charged with his katanna and Morbius retaliated by grabbing his arm and throwing him off the building. He followed up by speeding around his other opponents, slashing and clawing at them. The last ninja standing jumped back while throwing two shuriken. Morbius caught both, sprinted to the enemy's position, and grabbed him by the throat. He then exposed the bare neck and started feeding on the shadow warrior.

Suddenly, he felt a prick and looked to see an arrow jetting from his backside. Morbius looked up to see several Lotus ninjas armed with a bow and arrow on a rooftop above. Enraged, he roared, "I WILL FEED ON YOU ALL"!

Around the same time, Arden landed on his feet and watched as Scourge jumped down and rolled up in front of him. He struck with his right tonfa and Arden blocked it with his arm. Arden noticed that the blow felt pretty intense, anyone else would have had an ulna fracture, but thanks to his new endurance and healing power, he can handle it. He throws a cross with his other arm and the masked ninja stepped back.

Scourge pivots and rolls to Arden's left and tried to strike again with both tonfas. Thanks to the young hero's sixth sense, he reacts in time to grab both wooden weapons and kicks the ninja in the chest. Scourge falls back, letting go of his weapons and falling on his back. Arden throws the tonfas aside and aims his wrists to web him down.

Arden fires but misses as Scourge rolls to the right and throws three kunai knives. The teen hero leans back and watches the knives pass over his face. Just as he regained his balance, Arden watched as Scourge recovered one of his tonfas and charged him again. Arden leap-frogs over the ninja and gave him a spinning kick the second he turned around. He saw the mask fly off the assailant's face and got a good look at his attacker. Arden was shocked to see that it was someone he knew, someone from school!

_Denzel Kelly?! _Arden thought, a quizzical look under his mask. Suddenly the pair heard a roar from above and Arden turned, distracted. Just as Arden turned back around, reacting to his Spider Sense, it was too late. Scourge slammed his tonfa in Arden's face and threw down a smoke pellet. Arden peered through the smoke and watched as Kelly climbed back on to the roof above. Getting back on his feet, Arden fired a web line and zipped back up in order to stop him before he gets away. But it was too late; Kelly, the ninjas, and Morbius were gone.

"What the hell was this all about?" Arden asked aloud, "And what do both Morbius and Kelly have to do with it?" He looks over to the water tower and is relieved to see his Scroll was still there. Arden walks over, peels off the webbing, and retrieves his phone. "Guess I'll find out later. Right now, I got to see if I still have a girlfriend."

A few minutes later, Arden was back in his sharply dressed outfit and rounded the corner of an alley. He pretended to jog and came right back up to Isis, who was now alone.

"Arden what took you?" Isis asked with an edge in her voice.

"I'm so sorry," Arden responded, pretending to be out of breath, "I tried to find anyone who could help, but no luck."

"That's okay because the paramedics arrived and took Roxy to the hospital."

"They didn't give you any trouble?"

"Actually, when they unloading their stuff, I called over and it looked like they ignored me. I was about to mention your father when Tyler ran out and told them to help Roxy. They knew who he was and did not hesitate."

"Okay, that's good; those guys better pray that Tyler doesn't file a complaint. If my dad finds out they violated the one rule doctors and EMTs are sworn to uphold, he will chew their asses out."

"He's that passionate about helping people, _all_ people?"

"Trust me, one time he saw a nurse ignore a Faunus patient in need at the hospital and it did not end well. Not only did dad order her to help the patient, he took her into his office and gave a very loud lecture for fifteen minutes. Suffice to say, she never ignored another patient again."

Isis gave a weak smile, but was about to ask something to get back on the topic when she heard her name being called.

"ISIS"! The young Cat Faunus turned to see her older sister run up to her and gave her a hug.

Cleo pulled away and asked, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine Cleo really," Isis responded. "Arden was able to lead us out safely."

Felicia looks up and finally gets a good look at her sister's mysterious boyfriend. _Damn he's fine!_ Felicia thought to herself. "Thanks for protecting Isis. If anything happened to her, I would claw your eyes out and hang them on a key chain."

Arden inhaled and nervously responded, "Got it."

"Felicia"! Isis calls out.

Cleo walks up to Arden and holds out her hand, "Seeing as how my sister has forgotten her manners, allow me to formally introduce ourselves. I'm Cleopatra and the lovely young lady who threatened you is my sister Felicia."

Arden shakes the hand and says, "It's a pleasure."

"But I do share Felicia's protective nature of my little sister. Hurt her in any way and I will hurt you in ways that will make castration feel like a pleasure."

"Cleo"! Isis snapped at her oldest sibling.

_Okay so that's the tradeoff_ Arden thought, _they are as beautiful as they are crazy!_ "Rest assured Cleopatra, I have nothing but respect for your sister and I intend to be as honest as possible." Arden looked past to Isis and she raised an eyebrow.

"Well that's good to hear," Cleo said, reassured, "And please call me Cleo, it's so much easier. Anyway, we'll take Isis home so she can call it an early night."

"Oh come on, just because there was a little excitement"! Isis argued.

"That," Felicia interjected, "And we have a little _family_ business to attend to." Isis looked confused and remembered what she was referring to.

"Oh yes," Isis turns to Arden and says, "I'm so sorry."

"No I get it, family is very important," Arden responds. "I'll call you tomorrow okay?"

"Okay, goodnight."

"Goodnight," Arden says and he and the Hardy's part ways, both heading home to attend to personal business.

_Hardy Manor, 7:32 pm_

The three Hardy siblings walk into their home and make a beeline for the living room. Isis and Felicia sit down on the couch and Cleo just stood in front of the coffee table, her arms folded.

"So," Isis began, tapping her knees, "Did you guys find it?"

Felicia looked at her and smiled. She pulls out the eye and places it on the table. "One down, two to go," she said with a grin.

"Don't sound so happy sis, considering now we're not the only ones looking for them," Cleo added unenthusiastically.

"What do you mean?" Isis asked a little worried.

"We were attacked at the Crystal Condor Isis," Cleo continued.

Felicia snickered and said, "Yeah, by a crazy snake lady and a bunch of ninjas."

Isis didn't know what to make of it and simply said, "Okay what kind of catnip were you two snacking on."

"It's true Isis," Cleo said, her tone becoming more serious. "A woman by the name Viper led a group of ninjas she called the Black Lotus against us to get the eye. I've never heard of the Black Lotus, even during our time abroad, but I heard plenty of stories about a different group."

"Yeah that crazy chick said she used to be a part of some group," Felicia said, "Who are we dealing with sis?"

Cleo looked nervous; her skin was becoming pale at just the mention of this organization. "They're called the Serpent Society, a group of snake themed assassins who first made their fame killing a Schnee. I don't know where they factor in with all of this, but the only explanation is that the Big Man _really_ doesn't want us to find that disk."

"So what do we do?" Isis asked.

"We remain vigilant, plan our next move right. We find the other eye and the statue and that's it. Once we have what we're looking for, we high tail it and retrieve the data disk immediately."

"And then what exactly?" Felicia asked.

"We get it into the hands of someone who could use this information, take down the Big Man."

"And avenge our parents," Felicia said adamantly.

Cleo nods and turns to Isis. "Isis, about tonight, I don't think it would be a good idea to keep seeing this Arden guy."

Isis stood up abruptly and asked, "What the hell does that mean?"!

"If what I heard about the Serpent Society is true, then they would use any method at their disposal to complete their missions. And that includes using the ones we care about against us."

"I…I can't believe this. How long do you expect me to keep my life on hold?"!

"Whoa easy Isy," Felicia said to calm her little sister down.

"Don't call me Isy; I'm not a little kid anymore."

"Be that as it may, you are my responsibility," Cleo went on, "And I could not live with myself if anything happened to you. We are all that's left of our family, and we need to stick together."

"Do you know why we are the last of the family? Because all of our relatives stole from people, pissed them off, and got killed. The three of us thought dad was different, but you Felicia," Isis pointed at the middle child, "You saw how broken dad was after what the monster did to mom." Tears started to form from Isis's eyes. "I don't want to die like that, broken. If I was going to die, I want to at least live my life to the fullest first."

"And we will," Cleo added, "Once we get the disk, everything will be better."

"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT"! Felicia jumped back and joined Cleo after Isis's outburst. "For all we know they'll come at us with everything they got and the last ten years of our lives would have been for nothing! We will have died for nothing"!

"Isis that's enough"! Cleo shouted.

"SCREW YOU YOU'RE NOT MOM"! Realizing what she just said, Isis ran upstairs to her room and slammed the door. Cleo and Felicia took a seat on the couch, sitting there in dumbstruck silence.

_The Home of Arden Ambrose, 7:34 pm_

Arden walked through the door to his house and was immediately met with a hug from his mom.

"I heard what happened on the news, are you alright?" she asked. "Is that Isis girl alright?"

"Yeah mom, we're both fine," Arden answered, "We left the restaurant without a hair out of place."

"It must have been terrifying to see that monster tear through the place."

"It really was, but thankfully that vigilante was there to stop it."

"You know I wasn't really sure what to make of him, the Spider. But if he's out there keeping people safe and kicking the right kind of butt, he's aces in my book."

_"Aces in my book", what era are you living in mom?_ Arden thought. "Well I should be getting some rest, long night and all."

Alison kissed her son on the forehead and said, "Night."

Arden rushed upstairs and immediately closed his doors and locked it. He sat down on his chair and pulled out his Scroll. Ebony climbed up on the computer desk, lied down, and looked at the screen with her master.

"Ebony, I had a crazy night," Arden said to his cat.

"_Meow_," the cat responds, as if to inquire "How so?"

"Well first my date started out alight, it ended up being a double date with two classmates, and the next thing I know, a freaking vampire comes barging in"!

"_Meow_," Ebony said, which sounded to him, "You crazy"!

"I swear to God, and then it got _weirder_! I fight this blood sucking monster, who turns out to be an Alchemax employee; the same Alchemax that inadvertently gave me _my_ powers! Then these ninjas came out of nowhere and interrupted us. And to add to that, the lead ninja is the same asshole who gives me trouble at school! So now I'm thinking what the hell?"!

"_Meow_," the black cat fires back.

"Alright, let's do a little review." Arden replays the footage of his short battle with Morbius, and then stopped when he got to the part where Kelly, AKA Scourge, kicked him. "Now here's the part I wasn't there for." He watched as Morbius was shot at by archers and impaled by several arrows. Morbius then drops and is led away by the ninjas. "So that's about it. Those arrows must have been poisoned or something to stop him in his tracks. I'll put this video up tomorrow, but only the part with me and Morbius in it. Don't want to freak people out too much."

"_Meow_," Ebony calls out.

Arden just grinned and scratched her ears. "You know Ebony, out of all the things and questions I thought about tonight, Isis always came to mind. I felt so bad lying to her about where I went and leaving her alone to look after an unconscious girl. It dawns on me that you are the only person who knows who I _truly _am."

"_Meow_," Ebony says as if to say "Isn't that enough?"

"It feels crazy to keep this secret and not share it with anyone. Well, anyone who can actually talk back to me." Ebony purred with agreement. "But during dinner tonight, I felt something. I know we just met, and this could just be young love, but I actually felt like I had a special connection with this girl. I'm happy when I see her smile, and get angry when she's sad. It's like someone did her wrong and I wanted them to pay for it. Like I said, it could just be young love, but would it be worth it, safe, to tell her I'm the Spider?"

Suddenly Arden's Scroll rings and he answers it. "Hello?" He heard sniffling on the other side and then a voice squeaked on.

_"Arden, its Isis,"_ the cat girl said. Arden tightened the grip on his Scroll, it sounded like Isis has been crying.

"Isis, is everything okay?"

_"No, no not really, I just really need to talk to you."_

"Oh, uh…okay, what is it you need to talk about?"

_"This isn't something we can do over the phone. Can you meet me early tomorrow morning; go for coffee and just talk?"_

"Yes of course, is seven-thirty good for you?"

_"That's fine, see you then."_ Isis hangs up and Arden does too.

Arden turns to Ebony and says, "I won't be getting a good night sleep. I have a lot to think about."

_Alchemax Airfield Hanger 00, 8:23 pm_

Tiberius Stone and Hana Kage walk into the large, spacious hanger to find Viper, Scourge, and several Lotus ninjas standing around a chained up Morbius. The lesser ninja and both chunin bow in the presence of their leader.

"Viper, Scourge, report," Hana Kage ordered.

"As you can see master, my mission was a complete success," Kelly said with confidence, "The beast has been recaptured, sedated, and ready for departure."

"Hold that thought," Stone said and walked up to the incapacitated monster. Tiberius then started wailing on him, beating him into the ground, and stomping on him. "Try and kill my son?"! He yelled and slammed his head onto the concrete floor. Stone then leaned in and whispered, "Just for that, I've had Octavius arrange a special Ultraviolet cell for you to burn in for a week. And if I was completely devoid of humanity, I would starve you for several days until the hunger pains become unbearable. Then I'd have your precious Martine dropped into your cell and watch as you rip her apart." Stone kicks Morbius in the gut one more time and walks back next to the clan leader. "Sorry about that, now what about the Hardy's?"

Viper looked Stone dead in the eye and said, "They have one of the diamond eyes. They ran before we could retrieve it."

"I see," Stone muttered. He turns to Hana Kage and says, "Have your men look out for anymore sightings of the Hardy's. I don't care about the diamonds, as long as we get the statue, that's enough."

"How did you even know the disk was in the statue of Freyja?" the Black Lotus Clan leader asked.

"Let's just say I got it from a reliable source. Now that business here has been cleared up, hopefully Octavius can finally continue his research." Several men came over and took Morbius away, loading him into an unmarked Bullhead. "I'm going to return home and wait up for my son." Tiberius walked outside and entered his personal helicopter. "Take me home Mr. Toomes," he said to the pilot.

Hana Kage watched as the helicopter took off and her subordinates came up behind her. She turns to Scourge and asks, "You encountered the Spider yes? How did he fare?"

Scourge straightened himself out and responds, "He has some skill, mostly self-taught, but…"

"Just out with it," the clan jonin said sternly.

"Some of his moves were very familiar to the basic kata of our clan."

"I see," Hana Kage rubbed her chin in thought. "Then we will have to keep an eye on this Spider." Her subordinates bowed and she ordered them to move out. She led them out of the airfield, deep in thought. _If I didn't know better, it sounds like _**she**_ has trained a disciple._

Authors Note: And that's the end of the official story arc. I would like to take this time to introduce a new way of giving you a look at what to expect in the next arc. At the end of an arc, I will leave a teaser, like a post credit scene. So here's a peek at the next arc _Shock & Awe._

_Flashback: Friday March 16__th__, the Holy Ghost Church, 4:47 pm_

Father Lucas was sitting on one of the chairs on the stage, next to someone completely covered in a robe. The robed figure was holding a rosary between his three digits and muttering his ninth of the ten Hail Mary's.

"Good, just one more and then…" Father Lucas started but was interrupted when the doors opened violently.

"Yo father, we like, got a total sitch over here man." Lucas watched as an old Hedgehog Faunus with quills for hair and on his back and arms, strolled in with a young woman in his arms. The older Faunus wore a white shirt with a peace sign on it, ripped jeans, and green tinted reading bifocals.

"Harold, what happened?" Father Lucas asked.

"This babe was like surrounded by these gnarly dudes in black, so I stepped in and sent them on a trip. But I was too late and now she's off catching zs."

"Oh my, let's get her into the clinic." Father Lucas and his friend, Harold Grovelhog, take Blake to a secret area of the church.

As he finished the tenth prayer, the robed was curious about the current situation. He disappeared into a cloud of smoke in a _Bamf_!


	11. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

_Vale City, Saturday March 24__th__, 7:30 am_

Isis sat outside on a metal table, sipping her latte and waiting for Arden. She was thinking on what her sisters said, what they wanted her to do. This was her first crush, and now she has to break it off because of the mistakes her parents made? _This is probably one of the hardest things I have to do_ she thought.

"What's new Pussycat?" Isis looks up and smiles as Arden walks up and sits down across from her. She noticed that he looked very tired.

"Oh my, you look like you could use a caffeine boost," the cat girl said.

"Not much of a coffee person," Arden answers rubbing his eyes. "Last night, you said we needed to talk and you sounded very upset. Is there something wrong?"

"Yeah, uh…listen; this is kinda hard for me. I like you I really do but…"

"You want to break up?" Arden finished. Isis looked guilty and just nodded her head. "Was this because I left you?"

"I-it's not that, though that was a little weird. My-, it's just-, look, I can't really talk about."

"It's a secret right?" Isis looked down and nodded again. Arden tapped his fingers on the table and said, "That's part of the reason why I'm tired."

Isis looked up, confused, and said, "What?"

"Ever since we met, I kept something from you. At the time, I had no idea where I was going with my life after this change, until I saw you that day in the museum."

Isis was still confused. "Okay, what is it?"

Arden slowly rises and steps up next to her. "Not here, this is something private. And I can't just tell you, you won't believe me at first. I need to _show _you. So before you consider breaking up with me, let me at least tell you what I got to say. Will you trust me?"

Arden holds out his hand and Isis looks at it for what feels like eternity. Finally, she takes it and says, "Yes."

_The Kennel, 7:41 am_

A van pulls up to the curb and four sharply dressed men step out. Three of them were the Enforcers, Montana, Fancy Dan, and Ox. The fourth was a blond haired man who goes by the name Saint Louie, another member of the Big Man's organization. The four gang members enter a Mom & Pop diner run by a family of Faunus.

"Talk to 'em," Montana ordered Ox and the big guy strolls over to the counter. The Faunus there was older, in his fifties with gray haired dog ears hanging down. As Ox talked to him, the others sat down and started chatting.

"Why you got Ox doing the talking man?" Louie asked, "He already does the heavy lifting now the heavy talking? Ain't it torturing him to be shaking down his own kind?"

"Nope," Fancy Dan answers, "Quite the opposite in fact. It cushions the blow between our kinds. You see, contrary to what you think, the Big Man actually needs the Faunus in order to keep the money flowing."

"But what about those businesses we've been burning down and shooting up?"

Montana grabbed the salt shaker, looked at it, and said, "If they can't pay, they ain't worth it." Ox walks over and throws down a manila envelope on the table, taking a seat next to the cowboy. Montana picks up the cash and says, "See, this place is safe for another week."

"I also ordered four specials," Ox added, "On the house of course."

"Good man," Montana says and pats his arm, "Can't work on an empty stomach."

"Ain't this what we came here for?" St. Louie asked.

"Nah man, we got a serious situation the Gentleman wants us to look into." Montana puts down the salt and elaborates, "You see it's like this, word on the street is that there's a clinic operating here in the Kennel."

"So, there are lots of clinics around."

"This one's different, underground with possible ties with the White Fang," the rest of the Enforcers look at each other. "Yeah, that's a problem that needs dealin. We know it's somewhere in the Kennel, but that's _all_ we know. So we're going to have to ask around, shake some people down, and maybe even crack a few skulls to lead us to…"

The gangsters turn to the sound of the door opening and nearly jump out of their seats. Two White Fang members walk in fully in combat gear, one with fox ears and the other with white rabbit ears holding an umbrella. The female rabbit Faunus cocks the umbrella and points it at the Enforcers.

"Did that rabbit just cock a…" St. Louie was interrupted as a shotgun shell explodes from the tip of the umbrella. It impacted the table and the gangsters ducked while pulling out their weapons.

"Die fast or drag this out, your preference cockbites"! The Faunus woman yelled.

_Vale City, 7:42 am_

Arden led Isis onto the roof of an abandoned building. After leaving the coffee shop, he drove her to an area with a lot less people and found a building no one's using. He grabbed his backpack from the trunk and led her to the roof. Arden drops his backpack and walks to the edge, staring out at the city.

"So you bring me up here for the view?" Isis asked, half kidding, "What is this all about?"

Arden looks down at his feet to see a brick next to his left foot. He reaches down, picks it up, and throws it high into the air. He backflips from the edge, over and lands behind Isis, and fires a web line at the brick. Arden pulls it back and catches the hard object. "I'm the Spider," he said simply.

Isis could not believe what she just saw or heard. Well, she knows what she saw, but hearing what Arden just said made her blood run cold. "W-what did you just say?"

"Huh, I thought those extra ears of yours made it sure you heard everything more accurately?" Arden asked with a chuckle.

Isis stomped her foot down, "This isn't funny"!

Arden held out his hands in defense, "Sorry, just trying to defuse a tense situation."

"How did this happen to you?" _As if I don't already know_ Isis added in her head, putting two and two together pretty quickly.

"It was actually two days before we met. My class was on a field trip at Alchemax the day of the break in. I hid behind a desk while these thieves fought each other and then a spider with a number on its back bit me."

_So _**that's **_what happened to the spider! _Isis thought. _Does he know that Felicia and Cleo were there?_ "What happened next?"

"I woke up in the hospital to my worried parents and went home. The next day I discovered the majority of my powers after avoiding a car accident."

"And then we met on Sunday."

Arden nodded, "Yeah."

"What _exactly_ are you capable of?"

Arden smiled, "Well as you saw from my demonstration…"

Isis folded her arms and smugly added, "You mean showing off."

"Potato, patato, you know what I mean. I have great acrobatic skills and can shoot webbing from my wrists. I'm also super strong, fast; possess a sixth sense that helps detect danger…"

"So at the restaurant when that monster came in…?" Isis interrupted.

"Yeah, while I don't know the specific danger, I knew something was going to happen." Arden rubs his chin and continues, "Let's see what else?" He snaps his fingers, "Oh," and disappears before Isis's eyes.

The cat girl looks around and jumps when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Arden reappears and she smacks his arm, "Don't do that"!

"Ha! Scaredy cat"!

"Got any other powers that don't scare the crap out of me?"

"Nothing else new, but my other senses feel like they've been enhanced."

Isis tilted her head, "What do you mean?"

"Well you know I'm only part Faunus right?" Isis nods her head, "Well, before I could see in the dark better and hear a bit better than ordinary people. Now it's like my senses are on the same level as a full blooded Faunus, maybe even better."

Isis just shrugs that off and asks the pivotal question, "Why are you telling me this?"

Arden rubs his head nervously and looks at her, straight into her eyes. "When I heard you last night, I thought you were upset about us. How I just left you there with Roxanne and I lied to you, made me think you wouldn't want to be with a coward."

Isis steps forward and touches his arm, "But now I know you didn't run away, you were protecting me."

"Not just you, or Roxy, or even Stone, I was trying to protect _everyone_."

"Well, that's even better. You kept us away from that monster."

"That's the thing, it wasn't a monster," Isis looked confused, "It was that missing Alchemax scientist, Michael Morbius."

"Yeah I heard about that, Felicia and Cleo were…" she stopped herself when she realized she was about to say her sisters were there. "…Were with me when the story broke. How did a scientists turn into that?"

Arden raised an eyebrow at the pause but shrugged it off. "He said Tyler's father was responsible, but before he could say anymore these ninjas came out of nowhere and attacked us. One of them kept me occupied long enough for the others to capture Morbius."

At the mention of the ninjas, Isis was stunned for a second. _More ninjas, like the ones who attacked Cleo and Felicia?_ "What did these ninjas want with Morbius?"

Arden shook his head, "Wish I knew, just leaves more questions than answers. But now I know something strange is going on at Alchemax. First they make the spider that inadvertently gives me powers and then this Morbius incident? It all smells bad and something tells me I'll have to deal with it."

Isis nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I was never a fan of Alchemax to begin with. They sound as corrupt as Schnee Dust or Stane Armory."

"Not a big fan of big business?"

"Those people are the _real_ crooks! Paying hard working and loyal employees scraps while the big wigs reap all the benefits! All while making products that can just as easily hurt people as they help them. Why don't you go after people like that?"

"Isis I can't just beat on anyone I want. I have to catch them committing a crime before I can stop them. I may be a vigilante but my grandfather was a cop for God's sakes. I believe in observing the information around me and that gives me a reason to act."

"Then why do you do what you do?"

Before he could answer, Arden heard several sirens below. He and Isis run over to the edge to see police cars speeding towards downtown, straight for the Kennel.

"Looks like a major emergency," Arden said turning around and running back to his bag. "Sorry Isis this can't wait."

Isis runs up behind him and says, "We are not done with this"!

Arden puts on the sweatshirt and pulls out the mask. He looks at her and adds, "I know, not by a long shot. But I need to take care of this first, people could be in danger." Arden puts on the mask and pulls down the hood. "What do you think of the look?"

Isis gets a good look at the makeshift costume and says, "You pull this together from whatever was in your closet?"

"What no good?"

"It's a fashion nightmare."

"What do you expect spandex? I'm not exactly made of money so I can't afford some fancy outfit. But if you don't like it you can call the fashion police. Or don a more colorful costume and become a vigilante yourself to prevent fashion crimes." Isis giggles and Arden runs to the edge, leaps up and crouches over the edge. He looks back and says, "I'll call you later." Arden jumps off and swings after the police cars.

Isis watches him go and was pretty impressed. But her mind was elsewhere. _I have a _**lot **_to think about._

_The Kennel, 7:45 am_

The staccato of gunfire consumed the inside of the Mom & Pop diner as the two White Fang soldiers continued to fire. At this point, the gang members were able to return fire from behind the booths and tables.

"Ya gonna have to do better than this ya filthy animals"! Montana jeered and fired from his revolver. He looked at Ox next to him who gave him a dirty look. "Present company excluded Ox," he added to the big guy.

"You want better human, you got it"! The fox eared Faunus yelled and fired his SMG.

"Ain't this perfect Eli?" the white rabbit Faunus asked and fired her umbrella shotgun. "Four Faunus owned businesses are destroyed and we now have four assholes to take it out on. Classic case of an eye for an eye"!

"Stay focus Lorna, job ain't done until they're in the ground"! Eli continued to fire.

"God I love it when you boss me around"! For no reason whatsoever, Lorna stopped firing and tried to grope her partner. But Eli held her back with his arm.

"Lorna, Lorna, LORNA"! Eli pushes her back and fires another volley in the diner, finishing off the last of the clip. "How many times do I have to tell you, business before pleasure"!

Seizing the opportunity, St. Louie jumps up and fires several rounds. Eli and Lorna jump back behind a car. The other Enforcers begin running out the back with Louie still firing until he heard a _click_. He turned to run, but Lorna poked out of cover and fired a round at his shoulder. The round impacted the gang member and he stumbled and rolled on his way to the back entrance. The White Fang duo casually walks into the building as Louie crawled his way outside.

Once outside and leaning against a dumpster, Louie saw that his pals were long gone. He fished into his pocket to get a new clip but dropped it when another shotgun round hit next to his head. Louie ducked and cringed in pain as Lorna and Eli walk out with their weapons pointed at his face.

"Heh, human companionship for ya," Eli snorted, pointing out the absence of the Enforcers. "Guess you'll be the one to send the message to your boss."

"W-what's the message?" Louie asked weakly, slowly bleeding out.

Lorna gave a sinister grin and cocked her umbrella (AN: ya that sounds weird), "I think he'll get it."

Suddenly a web line shoots out and the umbrella is ripped from the Faunus woman's hands. The three criminals look up to see the Spider on the wall with the umbrella in one hand.

"Oh, oh can I take a guess?" Arden asked sarcastically. "Is it something like 'the Spider is gonna get you like those White Fang creeps who almost wasted me'?"

"Waste this freak"! Eli yelled and raised his SMG. Before he could fire, Arden fired a web line and flung it out of the fox Faunus's hand.

"Yeah I'm really shaking in my shoes there Fox McCloud," Arden answered, "So how about you and Thumper there just surrender nice and easy before…"

Lorna leaps and extends her leg to kick Arden shouting, "No one calls me Thumper but my partner"!

Arden simply side steps and lets the rabbit girl hit the wall behind him. He quickly spins and webs her foot to the wall. "Why would you try to hit someone with your lucky foot?"

"Smart ass," Lorna muttered and Arden decked her in the face, knocking her out.

"Well now you're unconscious so…" Arden couldn't think of anything as his Spider Sense went off. He didn't really need it since Eli was screaming like a crazed animal coming at him with a knife. Arden back flipped over the fox Faunus and wrapped him in a cocoon of his webbing. Eli struggled as he fell to the ground.

"You're gonna pay for this you web slinging freak"! Eli screamed as he continued to struggle.

"Will it be cash or check, because I'm kinda short right now, so I'll have to get ya back later," Arden mocked.

"Uh, I'm bleeding out over here," Saint Louie said weakly.

Arden looked over and rushed to his side, "Right sorry, let me take a look." Arden looked at the bloody wound and nearly retched. There was a hole in this man and he was bleeding fast. "Bad news buddy, there is no exit wound and you need treatment right away."

Louie was starting to laugh, delirious from the blood loss. "Good luck, ain't a hospital anywhere near the Kennel, and it takes forever for the ambulances to get here."

"They'll be here, but for now," Arden fired a few globs of webbing over the wound, "This will slow the bleeding."

"Whoa, that's like, totally resourceful man," Arden and Louie look to the exit of the back alley to see a hedgehog Faunus coming towards them.

"And who are you supposed to be? Sonic the Hedgehog's grandfather?" Arden asked.

The older Faunus chuckled and replied, "That's funny Spider dude, but I can totally help this guy if you'd let me. But first," the old Faunus pulls out one of his arm quills and pricks Louie's side.

Arden knocks the quill away and asks, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Relax Mr. Reaction Guy, just sending him on a trip. The tips of my quills have this stuff that like numbs the pain. He'll be out of it until we get to our clinic."

"Where is this clinic?"

"Not too far from here, but we'll talk later, we need to get this guy to my ride before he bleeds out"! Arden nods and scoops Louie in his arms. He follows the Faunus out of the alley and onto the curb in front of this green colored Dune Buggy with a peace sign painted on it.

"What the hell is that?" Arden asked as he put Louie in the passenger seat.

"This is the sweet ride of Harold Grovelhog," the Faunus answered, getting into the driver's seat. "By the way, my name's Harold Grovelhog."

"Kind of figured, so I guess I'll follow you then?" Arden asked, pointing out that there are only two seats.

"Oh right, try and keep up man," Harold said and sped off down the road.

Arden shook his head and started swinging after him. _You will never see _**me **_driving something like that!_ Arden thought.

In the alley, Elliot Vulpes kept struggling in the web cocoon, hoping his knife was cutting the bindings.

_The Holy Ghost Church, 7:53 am_

It didn't take long for Arden and Harold to make it to the church. Harold stops the car and carries Louie inside. Arden lands at the church steps and follows. Once inside, he sees Harold taking the injured man behind a door in the back. He tried to follow, but stopped when his Spider Sense went off and, out of nowhere, a man covered in a hooded cloak appeared in front of him in a crouched position.

"You will go no further," he said.

"Easy there hoodie, I just want to check on that guy," Arden replied.

"He is in good hands. Thank you but we'll take it from here." The mystery figure turned and walked away but Arden was not going to be ignored.

"Look, the White Fang attacked this guy and I need to know why when he's able, so let me…" Arden started down the aisle, but then the hooded man disappeared in a cloud of smoke. He reappeared right in front of Arden and suddenly found a tail around his throat, its pointed tip staring him in the face.

"I would not like to fight in the house of the Lord, but you will go no further"!

"What are you doing Kurt?"! Arden and the hooded man, Kurt, turn to the door to see a young woman with a black bow on her head running up to them. "Let him go"!

Kurt nodded and released his tail from Arden's throat. Arden breathed deeply and clutched his throat.

The woman walks up to Kurt and whispers, "Let me talk to him. Meanwhile, see if Harold and Father Lucas need you."

"_Ja_," Kurt responds and disappears again.

"Sorry about that," the girl began, "Kurt is very protective of this place. The priest here gave him shelter when no one else would."

Arden collected his breath and responds, "It's okay, I'm a lot tougher than I look. That guy was a Faunus right? Because, I've never seen a blue tailed Faunus before, let alone with such dexterity."

"That's…complicated, even I don't know." She sits down on one of the pews and taps the wooden bench. Arden sat next to her, feeling a little uncomfortable. "I'm Blake by the way."

"People call me the Spider."

"I know, I've heard about you on the news. I think you do some good work with some unbelievable abilities. Are you a Huntsman?"

Arden shook his head, "No."

Blake nodded, "Kind of figured. I've never seen a Huntsman or Huntress without a weapon. If that's the case, then how can you do what you do without Aura?"

Arden shrugged his shoulders and said, "It's like you said about that Kurt guy, it's complicated." Arden looked up and pointed at the door in the back, "I'm not hearing anything, is the clinic really back there?"

Blake shook her head and replied, "No, that's actually a door to the basement."

Arden raised an eyebrow under his mask, "So this clinic isn't exactly legal?"

Blake looked down, downtrodden, "You probably don't understand, but places like this, even if it seems illegal, are necessary. There isn't a hospital here in the Kennel, only a few clinics and the only ambulances come from the main part in the city. But their response time is shitty and the opened clinics are overcrowded and too expensive to help everyone. Father Lucas was a trained medic for the Vale Militia Reserves before becoming a priest and always used his training to help people. So after taking over as the preacher here, he opened his clinic in secret to treat anyone in need for free."

Arden listened to Blake's words and felt the sincerity in her voice. "Wow," he said, "I've never heard of someone so generous. Here I am, some vigilante beating on criminals, thinking I'm making the city better. But to hear someone who does it without raising a fist, it's just amazing. I take it you're not just an admirer?"

Blake smirked at the accurate accusation, "I haven't been to the city in the longest time and as I was traversing the Kennel to get my bearings, I was attacked. These men in black attacked me for no reason and were able to poison me. If Harold didn't interfere and brought me here, I don't know what would have happened."

Arden was about to ask about these "men in black" when the door opened and Father Lucas, in a bloodied white T-shirt, came up and was wiping his hands on a rag. Blake and Arden rose and met the man at the altar.

"Father Lucas," Blake said bowing her head, "How is the patient?"

The priest finished wiping his hands and looked at the young woman, "Fortunately nothing major has been damaged and we were able to slow the bleeding considerably. Harold is busy removing the shrapnel from the gunshot wound. Kurt will pop back up and tell me when he's finished so I can stitch the wound close." He looks at Arden and says, "I take it you are the one Harold mentioned?"

Arden bowed his head, "Yes Father, I'm the Spider."

"Thank you for your help young man, especially for your makeshift bandage. It was a pain to remove, but it absorbed a lot of blood. You may have helped saved that man's life."

"It's what I do Father, I don't just beat on people I help them too."

"You must have some medical training to think that fast."

"Yeah my fa…" Arden stopped before he mentioned his dad and changed his answer, "…friend is a doctor. He taught me some stuff, like how to use a first aid kit and some basic anatomy."

"Again thank you." Suddenly Kurt popped up and stood before the priest.

"Father, Harold is ready for you," Kurt said.

"Thank you Kurt," the priest said and turned to Arden, "If you would be patient, I would like to speak with you further. I'm sure you have questions."

Arden looked at Kurt and said, "I got a few."

Lucas nods and says to Blake, "Blake I will need some assistance."

"Yes Father," she responds and follows the priest down into the clinic.

Arden steps back and looks above him to see the cross hanging over the altar. "Guess it's just you and me now Big G," Arden said, speaking to God for the first time in a long time.

_Vale City, 8:09 am_

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit"! Montana kept saying as he and his pals make it back to one of their hangouts. Standing in the corner was Gustav Fiers, AKA the Gentleman, the Middle Man for the Big Man.

"Calm down Montana," he said, "You and your men were to expect retaliation from the White Fang. It was bound to happen any day now."

"You don't think I know that?"! He shouted, "The one thing I hate more than losing one of my guys is losing one of my guys to one of those terrorist shits"!

Ox and Fancy Dan just looked at each other. "Dude I swear I thought I saw that rabbit girl try to grab the fox's dick," Ox whispered to Dan.

Fancy Dan just snickered and said, "I heard of Foxes eating rabbits, but it looks like that fox eats that rabbit's pus…"

"What the hell is so freaking funny?! Montana asked, yelling at his friends. "In case you haven't noticed, St. Louie may very well be dead and you're just a barrel of laughs over here! So enlighten me, what's so Goddamn funny?"!

"N-nothing Montana," Dan responds, quivering a little. Even Ox, despite his size, was frightened by the head Enforcer.

"Good, because we need to hit these animals hard and fast, make them think twice before gunning for the Big Man's crew and disrupting his business."

The Gentleman stepped in, "While the Big Man shares your concern Montana, he wants to insure the message he sends sticks."

"And that means what?" the cowboy hat wearing mobster asked.

"We send in someone who will scare them straight, make sure they know we're not to be screwed with. Let's just hope he's kept a low profile since the _last_ time we used him."

Fancy Dan's eyes widened, "Oh God, you don't mean…?"

The Gentleman nodded.

_The Town of Redwood, 8:10 am_

In the small farming town in the kingdom's countryside, the entrance to the local bank was surrounded by the town sheriff and his deputies. The front of the bank explodes and the cops jump back. Strolling out was a man in a brown and yellow padded suit with metal gauntlets strapped to his hands. He looks at the nearest cop car, raises his right hand, and fires a concussive blast from the gauntlet. The car exploded and flipped back, spinning in mid-air before skidding across the street. The cops ran away in terror.

The strangely dressed man chuckled and yelled, "Coast is clear boys"! Five men with balaclavas on their heads with guns in their hands and bags filled with money strapped to their backs came running out. A van comes barreling down the street and pulls up in front of them. As his men loaded up in the back, Herman Schultz felt his Scroll buzzing in his pocket and took it out to read a new message.

_"The Big Man requires your services, come to the city at your earliest convenience, G."_

_Heh, Big Man needs me __**again**__?_ He thought. _Fine, let's see what he wants __**this**__ time._ Herman Schultz, known to the local media and his men as the Shocker, loads up in the van and tells the driver to head for the city.

Meanwhile down the road, a pair of fraternal twins, a brother and sister, look on at the escaping vehicle. One was a sixteen year old girl with dirty blond hair wearing dark purple clothing with light green shoulder guards. The other was a boy of the same age and hair with the same color schemed clothing and armor with a right shoulder guard only. The girl had a large axe strapped to her back while the boy had a spear.

"Goddamn it they're getting away"! The blond haired girl screamed.

The blond haired boy just sighed and said, "Relax Gretel, the point is there gone. Let's just hope they never come back."

"Screw you Hansel! I wanted to be the one to beat those guys and run them out of town myself"! The girl, Gretel, throws her hands up and walks off towards the forest.

Hansel sighs again, follows after his sister, and mutters, "Looks like another long day for the Witchbane twins."

Authors Note: Yeah, ending it here for now. I want to take this time to apologize for the delay; there was more homework and work preoccupying my time and I need to recharge in between. For now, this chapter was mostly about exposition and character drops from known to OC's. As for the twins, Hansel and Gretel Witchbane, those are two more characters created by Dario Soto I've finally got around to introducing. This was a small teaser, but they will be back…eventually. See ya next time!


	12. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

_Holy Ghost Church, 8:29 am_

Inside the house of the Lord, Arden felt bored. He knows sealing a gunshot wound takes time and precision, but he really wants the priest to hurry. Isis is probably wondering where he is and what's taking him so long. So he continued to look around and then stopped at something written on the wall behind the altar. It was some kind of prayer, it read:

_And shepherds we shall be,_

_For thee my Lord for thee,_

_Power hath descended forthfrom_

_Thy hand, that our feet may_

_Swiftly carry out thy command._

_We shall flow a river forth to_

_Thee, and teeming with souls_

_Shall it ever be._

_**In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.***_

Arden's Spider Sense went off, but he turned around slowly for he knew the presence was benevolent. Father Lucas, Blake, and Kurt were taken aback a little by the vigilante's preemptive action, but shook it away as the priest stretched out his arm at the prayer.

"It is believed the Huntsman of an old holy order used to say that prayer before embarking on a mission to purge the Grimm from a village or forest," the priest explained.

"What does the last line mean?" Arden asked.

"'In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,'" Kurt answers, signing a cross with his right hand.

Arden saw Kurt's hand, and is reminded of half of his questions. "Sorry to get to the point, but I believe you guys promised to answer some of my questions."

Kurt nodded and said, "And I believe the majority pertain to me yes?" Arden nodded and Kurt teleported behind him. Arden jumped back and sat down on the front row pew as Kurt removed his hood. Arden's eyes widened as he stared into the eyes of what can only be described as a blue skinned demon.

"Don't take this the wrong way Kurt," Arden began holding out a hand, "But doesn't your appearance seem a little oxymoronic considering where you are?"

Kurt merely laughed; a reaction Arden didn't expect. "Trust me I've heard it all before growing up looking like this. However, most people assume I'm some kind of rare Faunus and treat me like one."

"Which isn't true," Blake added, "I've never heard or seen any kind of Faunus Kurt could be. He is something else entirely."

"Whatever I am does not matter," Kurt continued, "I was fortunate to be found and raised by loving people from a small Mistral village."

"Found?" Arden asked.

"Correct, my adopted parents said they found me wrapped in a blanket flowing down the river. They raised me and loved me like I was their own. Though my appearance caused great fright, I would eventually find work in a traveling circus as a performing acrobat. The people thought my visage was merely a costume and who was I to tell them otherwise? They were happy to be entertained and I in turn was content to bring joy. In the spotlight, I was the Amazing Nightcrawler"! Kurt said with glee, but then looked down, "But when the lights went out, I was alone."

"That's…interesting Kurt," Arden commented, "But what brought you to Vale?"

"Actually, it wasn't my intent to stay. When I turned 18, I decided to travel the world, or at least, see what the four kingdoms had to offer. This city was my first stop after leaving my home. Not long after arriving, I attempted to stop a mugging and in the process, the people saw what I looked like. There were a lot of angry stares and some even tried to run me out of town." Arden was shocked at hearing this and even saw Blake's disapproval. "I sought refuge anywhere I could find, eventually finding this church."

Father Lucas stepped into the conversation, "Admittedly, I was taken aback by Kurt's appearance at first, but after getting to know him, I know now that he is a good man. Regrettably most humans tend to be so vain that they refuse to see past physical differences from what they consider normal to see a person with good character. But the Lord loves all his children, regardless of race or appearance, and I follow that belief. And ever since our first meeting a little over a year ago, Kurt has been an invaluable assistant at maintaining the clinic."

Arden holds out his hands and says, "Okay, I think that's everything I need to know for now. After all, if a priest gives someone a good word, they must be a saint." This gained a laugh from Kurt, a smile from Lucas, and a slight grin from Blake. "Look, the way I see it, this clinic may not be exactly legal, but some would say the same of what I'm doing. So let me offer some assistance."

"If you are offering protection, that is not necessary," Father Lucas said, "We have God looking down on us."

"That's not what I meant. Remember when I said my friend is a doctor?" Lucas nods his head, "Well, I know for a fact he keeps a fireproof cabinet filled with medical supplies at his house. I can talk to him and convince him to lend me some supplies and then give it to you."

"You don't have to do that," Father Lucas began, but Blake took the holy man by the arm.

"Father, we _are_ running low on supplies," she said, "And if he is offering medicine that can help people, then there is no reason to turn him down."

Reluctantly, Father Lucas agreed to Arden's generous offer and wrote down a list of supplies they are nearly out of.

"Wow, this is some high grade stuff," Arden said skimming the list, "But I'm sure my friend has all this stuff. I'll come back tomorrow morning, you know, _after_ morning Mass."

"Thank you," Kurt said, "You are an answer to our prayers."

"And to the prayers of those you save," Blake added with a smile.

Arden nods his head and leaps to the exit. He steps outside and swings away.

"Okay, our guest is like in Snoozeville population him," Harold Grovelhog declared as he comes from downstairs and out into the church. The others turned and acknowledged him, smiles still on their faces. "What'd I miss?" he asked confused.

_Vale City, 8:41 am_

Arden was swinging through the city on his way back home when he heard police sirens and shooting up ahead.

"Oh what now?"! Arden asked himself. As he got closer, he saw a couple police cars lined up like a barricade as officers were shooting at a man in black with curved sticks in his hands. "Wait, are those…"

Down on the ground, Franklin Quaid ducked his head and screamed, "Incoming"! A curved projectile is thrown over their heads, swings back around, and clips an officer in the shoulder. "Officer down"!

"I'm alright sir," the cop said pulling out the weapon. He looked at it curiously and asked, "What kind of nut throws boomerangs at cops?"!

"The kind who get kicked off the Pro-Grifball team," Quaid replied and grabbed the megaphone at his feet. "Fredrick Meyers! This is your final warning! Put down the wooden sticks or get put down"!

The criminal in black, former player of the Vale City Minutemen Fredrick Meyers, just sneered and clutched a boomerang in each hand, "Never! You make one lousy mistake and you get branded for life! I put so much of my heart and soul into this city," he kicks a bag of money at his feet and added, "And now I'm taking it back"! He raises his left arm and prepares to throw the boomerang when he felt something stick to his hand. He looks up to see his hand and weapon covered in webbing with a line trailing behind him. Meyers turns around and yells, "Who?"!

Arden was standing on the roof of a car, holding the web line with both hands. He scoffs and said, "The only mistake you made was bringing a bunch of sticks to a gun fight! And here I thought Grifball players have more sense than…actually, with the lack of healthcare and repeated blows to the head, this is something everyone should have seen coming"!

"Don't insult me freak! You don't even know what this is about"!

"Oh please, _everyone _knows you accepted bribes to make your team lose! What's the matter, coach didn't play you enough?"

Meyers snickered and said, "I'd rather be a poor sport and a rich man than just poor mate. So you can just piss off"! The criminal threw his other boomerang and Arden ducked.

"Really, I mean, really?"! Arden asked chuckling.

_Keep laughing you stupid prick_ Meyers thought to himself as the boomerang swung around and headed straight for Arden's head.

Arden's Spider Sense went and he just flicked his right arm up and grabbed the throwing weapon. He held it out in front of him and crushed it in half. "Man you are so stupid, you want to know how stupid you are?"

Fred raised an eyebrow and then an electric shock went straight through his body. Franklin Quaid held a stun gun in his hand and stood over his collar.

Arden jumped down and finished, "You let me distract you long enough for the boys in blue to taze your sorry ass."

"Don't move"! An officer ordered as he and a few other cops came around and surrounded the young vigilante.

Arden put his hands up and said, "Don't taze me bro"! Then he jumped up and swung away.

Before the cops could fire, Quaid put up his hands and ordered, "Hold your fire! Don't shoot"! He looked at his officer's confused faces and explained. "You weren't going to hit him anyway, no sense filling out the paper work for needlessly discharging your weapon. Besides," he looks down at the twitching criminal and added, "We got this moron to deal with." Quaid and another officer pick up Meyers, throw him in the back of a cruiser, and take off to Ravencroft Penitentiary.

_Elsewhere in Vale City, 9:00 am_

In the apartment of Elliot Vulpes, he laid in his bed as Lorna was kissing his exposed neck softly. After cutting his way through the Spider's webbing, he cut Lorna free and they escaped from the crime scene before the cops arrived. Once they returned to Elliot's place, they…well, did what they usually do after a thrilling operation. This time however, Eli wasn't thinking straight.

Lorna noticed this and asked, "What's the matter? Thinking of that Spider guy, or is it that Roxy is getting released from the hospital this morning?"

"Both, kind off," Eli responds as he gets up and walks over to the chair with his robe hanging on it. Lorna whistled at his nude form before he put on the robe. Elliot makes his way to the window and looks outside. "I'm still kicking myself for letting the web slinging freak get the better of us. Sure we may not be the most recognized members of the Organization, but we still have a reputation to uphold. Killing that wannabe hero might get us some serious street cred."

Lorna shifted in the sheets and asked, "As enticing as that sounds, that sounds like a lot of wasted work."

"Nothing in this life is easy Lorna, got to work hard to get everything in life, got to work even harder to get respect."

"You still didn't answer my question about your sis. Don't you think your family would want to see you after her little incident?"

Eli shook his head, "Nah, Roxy's got plenty of love from mom and dad." His grip tightened on the windowsill, "Even from that Stone boy, filthy human. Besides, we need to start focusing on this FERAL incident that's been growing." FERAL is a performance enhancing drug tailored only to Faunus users. It's become a serious problem with Faunus dying from overdosing and the White Fang is trying to find the supplier and shut them down, permanently. "And an operation this important is going to require all of my focus and power."

Suddenly he felt soft arms wrap around his neck and Lorna whispered in his ear. "But in the meantime, why don't put all your power and focus into round 2." She pulled him away from the window and threw him back on the bed.

_The Home of Arden Ambrose, 9:02 am_

Arden drove into the driveway of his home and was about to run up to his door when he saw his neighbor Travis from across the street sitting on his front steps clutching his head. Curious, Arden ran over and gave a friendly wave. "Everything alright there neighbor?"

Travis looked up and stood up pretending to look fine. "Yeah, just a minor headache is all. I've been having troubles sleeping lately and I might be coming down with something."

"Have you been having bad dreams or something?" Arden inferred.

"Yeah it's something like that, but it's nothing to worry about."

Arden saw that there was something else and asked, "You sure it's just bad dreams?"

"What do you mean?"

"I can't help noticing you always come home with bruises. Are you getting into fights?"

Travis laughed, "You sound like my old man. No…well, not outside class. There's this one girl who's really giving me a hard time."

Arden folded his arms and grinned, "Let me guess; she's got long flowing hair, gorgeous as all get out, and can kill you in a second if you mess with said hair."

"How do you know Yang?"

"Not personally, my mom talks about her all the time, her and her sister."

"Ruby," Travis clarified.

"Bingo. In fact, my mom says Yang is one of her favorite students, and lately she's been talking about how you and she have developed this very competitive rivalry."

Travis grinned at that, "Yeah, we're trying to find out which one of us is stronger. I win some, she wins some, and we're pretty even. You say your mom speaks highly of Yang?"

Arden nods, "Yeah, ever since her freshman year. Like I said, I've barely met her or her sister, but from what I've been hearing, Yang and Ruby see my mom as…you know it actually sounds dumb."

"No, what do you mean?" Travis asked.

Arden sighed, "They see her as a surrogate mother, or just a motherly figure. From what my mom told me, Yang and Ruby are actually _half_-sisters, and they both lost their mothers in the line of duty."

"Oh shit," Travis muttered as some pieces in his head came together. He was wondering why the two girls looked almost nothing like one another.

"Just don't tell them I said anything, the last thing they need is pity after coping for so long. And I _really_ don't need a target on my back from Yang."

"I promise not to say anything," Travis answered with a laugh.

Arden laughed with him until he heard his Scroll chime from a text message. It read: _Meet me at the Museum around 12; I have a lot to tell you-Isis._

He read the text and looked at Travis, "Well I hope you feel better, I have some homework to get done."

Travis rose from the stairs, "Yeah, I should get some rest. Nice talking to you." Travis enters his house and Arden walks back across the street to his home.

_Got about three hours to kill_ he thought, _I'll rest up, have something to eat, and then see Isis. Oh, better edit and upload that video of me and that Boomerang guy. I'm sure my fans will get a kick out of that!_

_VNN Station, 11:12 am_

"This Spider is a plague upon this city"! The station manager screamed as he slammed his fist on his desk. He is an older man wearing a blue business suit and pants with a red tie and has a black bushy mustache to match his graying hair. The forehead vein on J. Jonah Jameson's was throbbing at all the likes this freak was getting.

"Jonah your blood pressure remember?" his assistant manager and longtime friend Robbie Robertson reminded him.

Jameson took a deep breath and said, "Right, anyway, what kind of nuts think this Spider is some kind of hero?"!

"The kind who has seen him cleaning the streets of the criminal element?" answered Dexter Dunbar, the field reporter leaning back in a chair. Dex saw an angry look on his boss's face, dropped down and added, "At least that's what I've heard."

"If he's a hero, then why wear a mask? You know the kind of people who wear masks? Criminals that's who! This Spider is nothing more than another criminal taking out the competition, I just know it! And this SPIDEYFAN 616 sure is not helping, despite his impressive shots. Why don't _we_ have good footage like this guy?"

"Sorry Jonah, none of our crews have been able to get a good look up at him," Dex answered. "He always leaves the scene of a crime before our boys get there and start filming."

"Another reason why he's a criminal"! Jonah looks next to Dex at his intern/assistant. Jessica Jones, senior at Vale City High School, was watching a video on her Scroll. The brown haired girl wearing all black looked up after feeling three sets of eyes staring at her.

"Sorry sir," she apologized, "I was just studying the latest video from SPIDEYFAN."

"Well by all means, study away at the work of a freelancer. And while you do that, I want all _three_ of you to find a way to get my own footage of that Masked Menace"! With a start, Robbie, Dex, and Jess exit their boss's office. Alone, Jameson put his hands on his head and peered at the ViewTube video again. He nearly pulled his hair out and pressed a button on his intercom. "Ms. Brant, get me that slouch Gargan, I have a job for him."

_The Holy Ghost Church, 11:32 am_

St. Louie slowly opened his eyes and got up, his head spinning. "Oh my aching head," he muttered, "Where the hell am I?"

"Whoa, easy with the language man," Louie heard someone said to his left. He turned and saw this old Hedgehog Faunus standing there. "The Father won't like you mentioning the satanic sauna around here."

"Ah"! Louie yelped and shot up. He looked around the room he was in, beds everywhere, some occupied with primarily Faunus patients of all ages. Beside them were nightstands with medical equipment.

"Easy there man, we were just…," Harold said trying to calm him down, reaching with his hands. Louie saw the sharp quills on his arms and bolted to the door, running up the stairs. "Wait"!

Louie was upstairs, looking around and not believing where he was. _A church, I'm in a freaking church!_ Louie said to himself.

"Excuse me my son?" Louie turned to see a priest emerging from his office, concern on his face. Before Louie could say anything, Harold came up the stairs and Louie bolted out the exit. Harold and Louie were now next to each, then Kurt in a _Bamf_, who saw the whole thing from the rafters above.

"Why not go after him Kurt, just pop him back here?" Harold asked the blue skinned teen.

"You saw the look in his eyes, he was scared," Kurt answered, "And besides, all I would accomplish would be giving him a heart attack."

"Kurt is right," Father Lucas said, "All we can do now is pray for the man's well-being and that our aid has helped him see the error of his ways."

_Jack Ditko Natural History Museum, 11:59 am_

Arden was sitting on the steps of the museum, waiting for Isis. After his talk with Travis, he went straight to his room and uploaded his latest video to his channel. The Spider is getting a lot of positive reviews, and some bad ones. Just before he left, he made himself a big lunch with whatever he could find. Lately, Arden noticed he's been eating a lot more than usual and not gaining any weight. Obviously, from all the swinging around and other powers, Arden is burning a lot more calories. His parents have been displeased with the huge grocery list. Suddenly his Spider Sense buzzed and he smiled as he turned his head. "Hello Isis," he said, surprising his girlfriend.

Stomping her foot, the young cat Faunus stepped down to his level and said, "I'm never going to get the drop on you huh?"

"Nothing in this world will ever surprise me again thanks to my new sixth sense," Arden said with pride. "Why did you want to meet me here?"

Isis handed him a ticket and led him inside the museum. They ended up walking to the very spot where they first met; in front of the Tablet of Order and Chaos.

"This place is pretty quiet on Saturdays," Isis stated. Arden looked around and noted they were the only ones in this exhibit. "It's perfect for just talking with no one else around." They looked at each other and Arden saw the burden start to lift from Isis's eyes. She was about to tell him something big. "When I asked you to meet, I was prepared to break up with you. But not because of what you thought, my sisters wanted me to."

Arden raised an eyebrow, "I thought I made a good impression on them? Other than threatening me with blindness and castration, they seemed nice." The pair smiled at that, but Isis grew serious again.

"But then you opened up to me about who you really are, or at least, who you became recently. The fact you trust me with such a big secret like that tells me you really do care for me. So now I have to return the favor. I come from a family of thieves."

Again, Arden raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean they take stuff already belonging to people and line their pockets with it, what do you think I mean?"

"Sorry, sorry," Arden replied.

"Anyway, my family stole the wealth of many well off families for generations before my father decided to change that. He believed that it was morally right, and fun, to steal from other thieves and wealthy men and woman who misuse their fortune. My father would donate the majority of his earnings to help Faunus communities while investing the rest."

"So you weren't exactly wrong when you said he was a philanthropist then?"

"Not entirely no, but he was still a thief nonetheless. He taught my sisters and me the basics as we started growing, but never took us on a job because we were still too young."

"Was your mom…?"

"She used to be his partner, but retired to raise us. My dad found an apprentice in a boy he adopted from off the streets. His name was Aaron Davis, and for a time despite being human, he was like an older brother. But one day, dad took my sisters and me out for some quality time while Aaron stayed home with mom. When we got home, the front doors were blown in and dad told us to stay put. He never came out alive." Isis started to tremble and Arden placed a hand on her shoulder. "We later learned that dad stole something very important from the Big Man and he sent his right hand, the Goblin, to retrieve it. So that monster bursted into our home and…" tears trickled down her cheeks, "…He tortured our mother right in front of Aaron. Goblin wanted to know where our dad was and even after selling us out, he snapped her neck." At this point she was sobbing and Arden pulled her in a tight hug. But she kept going, "Dad didn't even put up a fight, he just gave up. I'm surprised the Goblin didn't kill us too. After that, we lived abroad until Cleo turned 18 and received a message from dad, as instructed from his will. We inherited his fortune and given the task of outing the Big Man."

Arden was shocked and devastated at Isis's story. He could not begin to understand the pain she's been dealing with all this time, and now his anger at this Goblin has only intensified. He lifts up her chin and says straight into her tear filled eyes, "I will help you."

Isis sniffed and wiped away the waterworks, "I…can't ask you to do that."

"You don't have to ask, it's what I do. I'll help you take down the Big Man and his Goblin, no matter what."

Isis sniffed again and said, "Thank you."

_Vale City, 12:32 pm_

"Is that so?" Gustav Fiers said. Standing before him was the Enforcer St. Louie, who called for a meeting with the Gentleman regarding their current operation.

"That's right sir, the clinic we're after is below the Holy Ghost Church in the heart of the Kennel," the henchman reported.

"Heh, heh, heh, ain't that spectacular," said a voice from the shadows. Herman Schultz came waltzing out with his crew right behind him.

Louie was wide eyed, "You're Schultz right?"

"No, I'm the Tooth Fairy dumbass, wha do you think?"

"Enough," Fiers said, "I've already brought Mr. Schultz up to speed with this clinic debacle; all we needed was a location. And now thanks to you Louie, we have what we need."

"So what do you want me to do sir?" Louie asked.

Fiers shook his head, "Not a thing, take the rest of the day off." He walked over and patted him on the injured shoulder.

Louie winced but gritted his teeth so he wouldn't yelp. He nodded and left his boss with the newcomers.

"So like we talked about," Schultz started after Louie left, "Find the clinic and "persuade" them to close down shop?"

Fiers nodded, "And if they refuse…well, do what you do best." Schultz grinned and led his men outside back to the van.

"So that's it huh boss?" one of his men began, "Not even back a day and we're taking orders from the Big Man again?"

Schultz addressed his men and said, "We'll play along for now, but there is no way we're going back to being the Big Man's stoolies. Will bide our time and then, we'll plant our flag into that bastards body"! Schultz and his men pile into the van and take off, preparing for their "chat" with a holy man.

AN: I apologize for the long wait for this one and it's the same reason why you'll experience another one. With the Fall Semester winding down, there are some final assignments that require my attention. Expect the next update sometime in early-mid December; I apologize again for the inconvenience. Until we meet again!

*Yes, that is the prayer from Boondock Saints. Sometimes I like to include Easter Eggs from Pop Culture, so look out for those.


End file.
